Growing up for Love
by svmfan1
Summary: When Eric breaks Sookie's heart, she embarks on a personal journey filled with healing and growth. When her world falls apart years later, what will happen when she must reconnect with her long lost Viking? Post DAG, A/U
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns these characters**

**Want to thank my Beta, Sassyvampmama, who is the most amazing person. She was a huge help and I would not have even written, let alone post this story if it were not for her mad skills.**

**My first story ever, so please be gentle, but I welcome any comments. Thanks for taking the time to read.**

**Chapter 1**

"Sookie are you ok, sweetheart, I can't understand anything you're saying."

"I…I can…can't be…believe I… trusted him Amelia. I feel so heartbroken and I'm such a fool." Sookie was practically hyperventilating into the phone as she tried to speak coherently to Amelia.

"Sookie, where are you? I can hardly understand you, but it doesn't sound like you should be alone right now." Amelia was shocked to hear Sookie sounding this devastated, she never heard her cry like this and she was worried for her.

Sookie pulled it together and somehow managed to answer Amelia. "I'm not sure where I am Amelia, I have been driving towards New Orleans, and I just needed to get away. I'm at Quick Mart, not sure where, although I think I am near the city."

"Sookie, Hun, go find out where and I'll come and get you, you should never have been driving in this condition."

After Sookie told her where she was, Amelia got in her car and went to pick up her friend. She knew this had to be about Eric, but she couldn't imagine what Eric did to get Sookie riled up like this. Amelia felt like she knew Sookie pretty well since she had lived with Sookie for over a year before she moved back to New Orleans three months ago, shortly after her boyfriend Tray died. She couldn't stay in Bon Temps;there were just too many memories of him there. The death of the man she thought she was going to marry was unbearable, but she felt that it would be ok leaving Sookie when she did. She knew Eric had been taking care of Sookie after she had been tortured by the fairies. She thought Eric loved Sookie, and she believed Sookie loved Eric too, even if Sookie couldn't admit to herself let alone to him. She saw how devastated Eric was by what the fairies had done to Sookie; though she still didn't know why Eric wasn't able to save her from their torture. She wasn't even sure Sookie knew the reason, and now was wondering if this had something to do with why Sookie was so heartbroken.

Shortly after hanging up her phone, Amelia met Sookie at the Quick Mart and had her leave her car there. Sookie wasn't too far from the city and they decided they could come back for it later. Sookie was hysterical when Amelia retrieved her and Amelia didn't even push her to tell her what happened right away. She brought Sookie back to her apartment and put her to bed, and Sookie went right to sleep. Amelia knew they could talk in the morning.

Sookie didn't wake up until 2:00pm the next day. As soon as she woke up she felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. She felt nauseas and her eyes were swollen from all the crying she had done the night before. She laid there in Amelia's guest bed, wishing what happened had just been an awful nightmare, but it wasn't. It was worse. It was real and she felt the ache inside every cell of her body. She knew she had to get out of bed, had to thank her friend for coming to her rescue and explain what had happened.

"Good afternoon, there is fresh coffee for you," Amelia pointed over towards the kitchen. Sookie shuffled over and grabbed a mug that was hanging from the rack and poured herself a cup of steaming coffee. She walked over to Amelia who was sitting on the sofa.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Amelia asked as she looked over to her friend. She realized Sookie looked just as heartbroken as she had when she found out about Tray's death. (If she was being honest with herself, she resented Sookie for Tray's death. Tray had died while in the hospital from what the fairies had done to him while trying to protect Sookie from them.) She didn't completely blame Sookie for his loss, but felt jealous that Sookie had Eric and she didn't have Tray. Somehow all those feelings felt ridiculous to her and she was ashamed because of it. She was working through Tray's death, and now seeing Sookie heartbroken, she knew Sookie was suffering too and she wanted to be there for her friend.

Sookie walked over and took a seat at the other end of the couch, tucking her feet up under her and turned to look at her friend as she spoke, "I don't know where to begin Meels. All I know is that I feel like a fool, that whatever Eric and I had together wasn't real."

"Whatever happened Sookie, it can't be that bad. Eric loves you, and even if he hasn't said those words to you, his actions have certainly proved it. Even Pam has told me she has never seen Eric with anyone else like he is with you."

"Well, that's bunch a crap, Amelia! Do you want to know what happened? Alright, I'll tell you… Eric has been with someone else the whole time we have been together, or whatever it is we have been. He had a 'Pet' and her name was Camille and she has been living with Eric for the past five years. Can you fucking believe it? I met her last night at Fangtasia, or should I say I walked in on Eric with her in his office. I went there to surprise him; I wanted to tell him how much I appreciate everything he has been doing for me. I wanted to tell him I love him, but I guess I was too late and now I feel like I have been played. I really thought he loved me. I know he has feelings for me, but I just don't think he is capable of love." Sookie started to tear up and Amelia handed her the tissue box.

"Sookie, wait a second, what exactly did you walk in on and what did Eric have to say about this Camille? What do you mean Pet? What exactly is this girl to Eric, are you sure she just wasn't a meal, surely she can't be anything more than that." Amelia started throwing questions one right after another at Sookie, her own confusion making them run into one another.

Sookie jumped in to answer some of the questions, hoping to stop her friend before they became too painful to answer, "I walked in on them kissing, Amelia. I read her mind, and I saw everything; her and him in his home, him giving her gifts, him making love to her - you name it she broadcasted it to me, and to top it off it's been going on for years. She had been his pet for almost three years before he and I ever met. The real kicker is she has been with him the whole time I have known him."

"Sookie, this makes no sense at all. I'm confused; is he with her now, is she still living with him?" Amelia's mind was reeling; she was trying to get a grasp on all this and Sookie wasn't making any sense to her.

"He said that she moved out of his house right before he and I were pledged in his office. I guess Eric must have decided it wouldn't look right for him to have a pet when he was officially married to me in the vampire world. Fuck him! I don't believe a goddamn thing he says after finding this out. I know that I have no room to feel betrayed before we met when I wasn't with him, but who the fuck does he think he is? How could he act as if he gave two shits about me and then be with her too? I get random fangbangers, but she lived with him. Christ Amelia, that's one step away from marriage and he never bothered to tell me about this? What the hell? You just don't live with someone you don't give a shit about. So, he was fucking her the whole time he was pursuing me. Now I know where he was, or should I say who he was with, during all those months I didn't hear from him. He was still with her even after he regained his memory of our time together. I feel so hurt and what I thought was real, well, it wasn't. Eric isn't real."

"Sookie, I'm just going to go back over this to make sure I understand everything. You went to Fangtasia to surprise Eric…"

"Yes," Sookie replied.

"Have things been going alright up to this point with you two? I mean he was coming by every night to be with you before I moved out and that was three months ago."

"Yes, Sookie replied, thinking back to her time with Eric over the past three months and she thought they were happy. Eric had been so good to her, and their love making was unbelievable. She felt like they really were a couple, but she knew in her heart she had been holding back. She was afraid to make any declarations of love, not knowing how Eric would respond, and afraid he may not feel the same way. Yes, Sookie thought he had deep feelings for her. With what little was left of the bond after her torture, Sookie felt something, but wasn't sure if it was her feelings or Eric's. Eric had yet to push her or ask her for anything more than her company, and Sookie assumed this was all Eric really wanted from their relationship. However, Sookie had finally admitted to herself she loved him and wanted him to know, damn the consequences.

"Has he told you why he wasn't able to save you from the fairies that night yet?"

"Yes," Sookie replied "and I understand why and it doesn't have anything to do with what happened last night."

Amelia was relieved; she had thought that maybe Eric was with this other girl instead of being there for Sookie. Thank goodness that wasn't the case because that would have been unforgivable. But Amelia knew what Sookie was telling her did not sound much better.

**Eric's POV**

Barely less than an hour after Sookie stormed out, and Eric was still sitting in his office, mentally going over what had just happened. He was feeling guilty; an emotion he just recently started feeling since Sookie was taken by the fairies. '_Those fucking fairies he thought,_ but that wasn't why he was feeling guilty right now. He and Sookie had gotten through that mess. No, it was Sookie's reaction to finding out about his Pet, Camille, or former Pet as it were. He had had no intentions of Sookie ever finding out about her, but Pam was right, these things always have a way of coming out. Camille simply couldn't stay away from him and she just didn't get it. He told her she would never mean more to him than what he offered her from the beginning; great sex, a home and some companionship, but she became obsessed with him. She fell in love with him, and he knew it. Though he had never told her he loved her, he never told her he didn't either.

There was a knock on the office door and when he looked up, Pam was standing there. "She is gone Master, and she will not be coming back."

"Thank you Pam. That will be all." Eric said dismissively

"Master, if I may ask, what happened with Sookie after I left with your Pet?"

"She is not my fucking Pet and hasn't been since I pledged myself to Sookie!" Eric roared at Pam. Pam knew that she shouldn't push Eric but she was actually pissed at him for being so stupid when it came to Sookie. She knew he had very deep feelings for Sookie and had tried to tell him that Sookie would never understand him not revealing his past relationship with his Pet to her. She knew Sookie and knew that she would feel betrayed by him keeping it a secret. Pam could not believe Eric had worked so hard to get Sookie to be his, and just when Sookie finally believed she was, Sookie had to find out about Camille. She didn't know how Eric was going to make things right after what Sookie found out, but he better or God help us all she thought.

"Look, Eric I know you're upset, and I'm not going to tell you I told you so- even though I did, but you fucked up. You didn't take care of the Camille situation the way I suggested you should. You didn't tell Sookie about a women who you have been sharing a home with over the past few years. How the hell did Sookie take it after I left? Did Sookie give you a chance to explain things, or did she run, like she always does? Although ,this time, I wouldn't blame her for leaving."

Eric began to think about this fucking nightmare all over again. He was pissed because he thought he had gotten rid of Camille. He should have completely glamoured her and made sure she was on the first plane back to her home state when he ended it, but she begged him not to take her memories away so he didn't do it. He felt that was the least he could do, giving her one last gift to help her start her life without him in it. She told him she was going back home. She took the money he gave her and said she was going to get an education. She was only 23 and he knew she still had her whole future ahead of her, but no, she just had to come back one last time. She had to try to get him to take her back. Why had he been so weak, why did he have to kiss Camille back when she brushed her lips against his, and why did Sookie have to choose that moment to walk in on him when he did? He knew he blew it, but he was determined to get Sookie to forgive him and to make her believe that she was the most important women to him.

"Master, I want to help, and I think I can, but you must tell me what happened after I got Camille out of here." Pam wasn't sure she really could do much, but she knew Eric was hurting and wanted to do all that she could to make things right between him and Sookie.

"Sookie fucking walked in on me kissing Camille, it was meant as nothing more than a final kiss goodbye and that is when Sookie came in. Sookie just looked at me; she didn't say anything at first. I pulled away from Camille but then Camille had to open her fucking mouth and tell Sookie she was mine. Sookie just looked at Camille, saying nothing but shaking her head back and forth with a horrified look on her face, and then it dawned on me, Sookie was reading her goddamn mind. Sookie then turned to me and asked me if it was true, all of it. I could not lie to her so I simply said yes.

"Is that when I heard Sookie's cry?" Pam had known it was bad when she ran to Eric's office and saw all three of them standing there. She also knew Eric had told her to get Camille the hell out of there, but not before Sookie asked Camille if she had known about Sookie the whole time. When Camille said yes, but it didn't matter because Eric always came back to her, Pam thought her master was going to drain Camille right on the spot. What a fucking stupid cow, but she knew that she had to get Camille out of there before her master killed the girl. Sookie would never have forgiven him if he did that, and that was the only reason why Camille was removed immediately from the office. Personally Pam couldn't stand Eric's human pet, she had no respect for herself and therefore Pam had none for her.

"Did Sookie leave right after I got Camille out of your office or where you able to talk to her?" Pam had assumed Sookie ran, but hearing Eric tell her Sookie stayed and talked almost shocked Pam, and it took quite a bit to shock her.

What Pam wasn't expecting was seeing her Master beginning to tear up. She saw the blood pool in his eyes as he began to tell her what Sookie and he said before she walked out on him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclamair: Charlaine Harris owns these characters**

**Wow! Thank you all for putting me on your author and story alerts and especially for leaving a review. It means the world to me to hear your thoughts. I hope you like this chapter and any reviews are welcomed.**

**Special thanks to Sassyvampmama for being the best beta and friend!**

**Chapter 2**

Amelia stared at Sookie with her mouth hanging slightly open in disbelief, there was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to ask. She had to be honest with her friend, whether she wanted to hear it or not, but first she needed to get all the facts from Sookie on what happened in Eric's office.

"Sookie, after you walked in on Eric kissing Camille and found out she was his Pet, what happened next. Did you wait around and talk or did you bolt before he had a chance to say anything?" Amelia figured Sookie ran; frankly she would have wanted to stake Eric first and then run, but was curious as to what Sookie did.

"I honestly was in shock, and couldn't believe what I was seeing and what I was hearing from inside her head. I could only ask Eric if it was true. He knew what I was asking about and he said yes, like it was no big deal. When I turned and asked Camille if she knew about me, she told me she did, but it didn't matter to her that Eric was with me. She said that was because he always came back to her in the end. I just let out a cry, Amelia I don't know where it came from, but I was heartbroken. I thought all that fucking torture I endured at the hands of those fairies was the worst pain I would ever go through, but I was wrong. Finding out Eric has been having an affair with another woman the whole goddamn time I have known him is by far worse." Sookie took in a ragged breath, still sobbing, and turned to look at her friend, "Did you know about this, Amelia? Did Pam ever tell you about her?" All Sookie kept seeing in her mind the whole time she was explaining to Amelia was Eric's face and how he did not look a bit upset the whole time this was playing out in his office.

"Oh my God, Sookie, no, I absolutely did not! If I knew, or even thought that Eric was capable of this, I promise I would have told you." Amelia was blown away, still not believing everything that Sookie was telling her. "What happened next, Sookie?"

"When Camille told me he always came back to her I thought Eric was going to drain her, but Pam stepped in and dragged Camille out of Eric's office. She fucking saved Eric's Pet! I thought she cared about me, but she was more worried about making sure Camille was safe. I started to cry, tears were coming down my face and Eric tried to hold me, tried to talk to me. The fucker tried to put his arms around me and I just pushed him away and slapped him across the face. I told him to get his fucking hands off me, that he had no right to touch me anymore." Sookie's eyes were wild at this point, and Amelia was starting to worry about her friend's mental state. She reached over and patted her knee as Sookie continued to rant.

"I asked him if he loved her, and he immediately said no. I said 'you were kissing her you and must feel something for her if you lived with her? What exactly do you feel for her?" He told me he cared for her and wished her well, but that it was nothing like what he felt for me. I asked him how he could have not told me about her, almost five years he was with this girl, living with her and he never told me. He said he wasn't living with her exclusively and that he hasn't been with her since we were pledged. Like that was supposed to make everything ok. That as long as we weren't married, him fucking her and sharing a home with her sometimes should have been alright. I was speechless Amelia. I know that I have no right to be upset about whoever Eric was with before we met, or even while I was with Bill and Quinn, but what about after the takeover? After he remembered what we shared? Here I thought he was busy with his new Masters; what a crock of shit. He was busy fucking her."

Sookie started to cry again and Amelia asked her if she wanted a glass of water or better yet a gin and tonic?

"Water would be great Amelia." Sookie waited for Amelia to get her a cold glass of water and when Amelia handed it to her she took a huge gulp. When she finished swallowing Sookie started in again on her story of what happened next.

"I asked Eric why he never told me about her before now, and he said it was because she was never more than just a pet to him, and that she really wasn't much more than a meal and a fuck he didn't have to glamour. Jeez, can you believe that he said that? I asked him about when and where he met her and how he came live with her? He said that he met her when she came to the bar, long before he ever knew I existed. He told me he was getting tired of searching for his meals and was looking for companionship as well." Sookie pause to take a deep breath and another large drink from the glass water in her hands. She took a brief moment to collect herself before she began to speak again, her voice a little more subdued.

"I asked him how he could keep her a secret and how he could be with me and act like he really cared for me, when he was fucking her the whole time. He told me that he did truly care for me; that I meant more to him than any other person. But, he said, he always felt like I didn't care enough for him, that I always kept my distance from him. He reminded me that I was with Bill and then Quinn, and who he fucked during those should have no bearing on our relationship and therefore never needed to be revealed." Sookie took another long and shaky breath, and Amelia could tell that her friend was just now getting to the really painful part. She placed her hand over Sookie's to show her support and lend her comfort as her friend spoke again.

I asked him if he had given his blood to her. His answer was that he had never willingly given her his blood, but that she took it once. Like I need a visual on how that happened? He accused me of hating the bond we shared and that I had never wanted to be his. I told him not to turn this around on me. That right now this wasn't about me, it was about his deceit. I actually told him as I started to cry again that I couldn't believe I had actually come to Fangtasia to tell him that I loved him, but instead, I found out what a fucking fool I was. I told him he was as bad as Bill, and that I must be the biggest idiot in the world. I told him he broke my heart and that I didn't want to see him again, ever. I ended it with telling him to go back to his fucking Pet Camille and then I ran out the door and got in my car and just drove for hours. I ended up at the Quick Mart, where I called you Amelia." Sookie felt like she had just run a marathon after explaining everything to Amelia, but it did feel good to share this. She needed her friend, and she needed to make some major changes in her life.

"Master do you now believe you were wrong for not telling Sookie about Camille as I suggested? Dear Abby always says that while the truth might hurt, deceit hurts more." Pam wasn't so sure that Eric thought how he handled his omission was wrong... She felt bad for Sookie, and even though Pam is a vampire and may look at things differently than a human would, she still figured she knew how Sookie would feel about Eric hiding Camille from her. She also knew that Eric too, was devastated by Sookie's reaction to finding out about this. She could not remember the last time she had seen her Master cry. Watching him shed his bloody tears and feeling his sorrow through their bond made her long dead heart ache for him. She knew that all Eric ever wanted to hear was those three words from Sookie's lips. She also knew that he would have never thought it would have been followed by how she thought herself a fool for ever feeling that way and that she never wanted to see him again.

This was bad and she did not see Eric ever getting Sookie back without a fight. She only wished Eric had listened to her from the beginning. She told him to tell Sookie about Camille after they had bonded in Rhodes, but he refused. She knew Eric was still with Camille only because Sookie rejected him time and time again. However, when Eric regained his memories of their time during his curse, he should have cut Camille out of his life right way. She knew that he only kept her around because he didn't want his new King to be able to use his feelings for Sookie against him. If the King of Nevada, Felipe DeCastro, knew their bond was one that stemmed from love, then he could, and certainly would, threaten Sookie to hurt Eric. Because of this, he allowed himself to use Camille so the King would not see his weakness. This plan backfired, however, when Victor told Eric that the King wished to make Sookie one of his pets. Suddenly Eric had to re-strategize. He knew he could not allow Sookie to become the Kings pet; that is when he decided to trick Sookie into offering him the ceremonial knife in front of Victor and into being pledged to him as his wife. It was also then that he told Camille that he couldn't go on with her any longer. He told her he was going to be pledged to Sookie and that Sookie was his bonded. He told Camille that he had had a good time with her, but that all she was to him was someone to pass the time with until Sookie became his.

Eric told Pam he needed to go find Sookie and explain everything to her. He needed to tell her he was wrong; to explain to her why he was with Camille even after his memories returned. He needed her to know that even though he was sharing one of his many homes with Camille, he was not fucking or feeding from her anymore; that he couldn't after he had regained his memories of his time living with, and loving, Sookie. He really didn't want anything to do with Camille after he bonded to Sookie in Rhodes, but he was so jealous that Sookie was with Quinn, and he knew he would look like a fool for not wanting anyone but her. He never got the chance earlier to tell Sookie any of this; she took off before he could.

Pam was surprised Eric revealed all this to her, but she knew he was desperate and needed her help. She told Eric to go home and get some rest. Tomorrow evening they would put a plan together to fix this cluster-fuck of a mess. After Eric left, Pam started thinking, and she knew she had to come up with something good because she didn't think Eric could survive losing Sookie again. He was almost destroyed when he thought the fairies would kill her. But if Sookie walked away from Eric for good because of something he did to hurt her, well, that will make him want to meet the sun and that was one thing she would not allow to happen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Charlaine Harris owns all these characters**

**Thanks so much for everyone's reviews, alerts and interest in this story. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it all.**

**A Very BIG thanks to my beta extraordinaire, Sassyvampmama, who is just the Best!**

**Chapter 3**

Sookie went to bed pretty early that second night with Amelia. She was emotionally drained from her recant and she just wanted to escape from her pain. Amelia had some sleeping pills her doctor prescribed to her when she was having a hard time with Tray's death. Sookie didn't care that they weren't her prescription; she didn't care about anything but wanting to close her eyes and wake up a new person without all of her memories of her time with Eric. Oh how she wished she could be glamoured right now because then she wouldn't have to go through this pain. She decided to take some saga advice from her favorite fictional character, Scarlet O'Hara, and think about this tomorrow.

She laid down, pulled the comforter around her chest and closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

_Sookie looked up and saw him. She knew it was him; she looked right at his face, searching to see his blue eyes. They always took her breath away, but when she looked deep into his eyes this time she only saw redness. He stepped from out of the shadows and she could see that he was crying. He fell down onto his knees and begged her to forgive him. He told her how much he loved her. Those three words she had been dying to hear she finally heard and she felt the sincerity of them too. The bond, the one that she thought she hated, the one she thought was gone since the fairies had tortured her, was as strong as ever. _

_She was overwhelmed at the love she felt and knew it was Eric's love for her. She started to cry and told Eric that he had hurt her more than anything she has ever felt more, than any pain she had ever been put through. Eric's guilt hit her, she felt his remorse, sorrow, pain, but mostly she felt his love for her. She wanted to hate him, wanted to tell him to go to hell, but she couldn't. She reached out to him and wiped his tears with her thumb and she placed them into her mouth. Immediately she felt Eric's joy and then she felt his lust. Eric leaned over and licked her tears before he touched her lips with his. He only wanted to comfort her, knowing she would probably reject him. She did not though, she leaned in and she kissed him more forcefully and placed her tongue between his lips demanding entrance into his mouth. Eric parted his lips and they began to kiss. _

_Sookie and Eric's kisses were like a well orchestrated dance, one that they have been doing for centuries. Eric moved his lips from hers and started to kiss her neck. He moved down to her collarbone and then to her breasts and Sookie arched her back wanting Eric to touch her and fondle her. Eric's hand grazed over her thin nightgown and when her nipples pebbled Sookie moaned. Hearing Sookie's moans only excited Eric more and he moved his hands to the bottom of her nightgown and raised it over her head. Sookie allowed him to do it, wanting him to touch her skin everywhere. She wanted to feel him and she wanted him to feel her. She needed him, and she wanted to feel all the love that was radiating through their bond. Sookie removed Eric's shirt and reached for his pants. Eric grabbed her hand and helped her undo his pants and then he pulled them down for her along with his underwear. _

_Sookie stood still for a moment and just admired Eric and his beautiful body. She loved his chest and the way his hips tapered down and the - cut that lead to his gracious plenty (which was just begging for her to take it in her hands), but Eric was having none of that. He wanted to show her just how much he loved and cherished her. He looked at Sookie through lust-filled eyes and leaned over her wanting her to lay her back on the bed. He reached for her underwear and slowly slid them down and off of her legs. He placed her legs back down on the bed and gently spread her knees so that he could lie in between them._

_He could not believe Sookie was allowing him to make love to her and he was not going to let her believe anything less than how much he truly wanted her and only her. He would prove his love to her with his body. He began to kiss her breasts and fondled her right one while sucking on her left nipple. He could almost taste her blood as his fangs scraped over her breasts and he could not wait to draw her essence into his mouth. Sookie was leaning back and Eric asked her to look at him. He started by placing feathery kisses down her stomach and he parted her lower lips with his fingers while using his thumb to draw circles on and around her clit. Sookie was so wet and he began to use his tongue, thrilling at the sweet taste of her. _

_Sookie was practically squirming with pleasure when he inserted his two fingers, working her, pumping in and out and continuing to drive her wild with his tongue. Sookie didn't think that she could take much more as a wonderful feeling started to build inside her body. She felt it from her toes all the way up into her stomach, and when Eric brushed his fingers along her g-spot, Sookie shouted out and released her juices onto Eric's waiting tongue. Eric could not get enough of Sookie's beautiful taste and resumed working her sensitive clit with his tongue, making Sookie shout out in ecstasy again. Eric turned his head a bit and sank his fangs into her thigh, flinging Sookie into an orgasm that was so strong she literally started seeing white flashes of light behind her eyelids._

_Eric lazily licked at the bites but barely gave Sookie enough time to catch her breath when he moved up her body and placed himself at her entrance and thrust himself all the way inside her. Sookie yelled out his name and it was music to his ears. Being inside Sookie was like nothing else for Eric. She was tight but it was more than that, it was if she was made just for him. When he rocked in and out of her he felt like her inner walls were created to give him the most unbelievable friction and feeling he has ever had. It was indescribable and he knew he would never feel this with another. _

_Sookie began to call out his name, asking Eric to move faster, harder. As he sped up and pounded into he. Sookie started to shout that she was coming. The moment she screamed his name Eric sunk his fangs into her neck, triggering his own intense release and causing Sookie to immediately reach another. As they were in the throes of their shared climax, she leaned in and sank her teeth into the side of Eric's neck and drank from him too. Eric lifted his mouth from her throat in that moment and as he shouted her name he told her how much he loved her and that he never wanted to be without her again._

When Sookie woke up she was actually sweating and she saw that she no longer had her nightgown on. She looked around and found it lying on the floor next to her bed. She had never had a dream that felt so real; she reached for her neck to make sure there were no marks. She didn't know what to make of that dream. She didn't know if she felt better or worse… Sookie had to get out of bed. She needed to calm down. She walked out into the living room and noticed that Amelia had left a note for her telling her she was at work and would be home around 6:00 that evening.

Thinking of work led her to think of her own job, and Sookie realized she had to call Sam and tell him she won't be coming in tonight. That as a matter of fact, she wouldn't be coming in ever again. Sookie felt she needed a change. She didn't want to be anywhere near Bon Temps or Shreveport again anytime soon. She wanted to make a new start and when Amelia got home she would talk to her about what she was thinking. She decided to grab some of the coffee that was left in the carafe and a bagel and start looking though the want ads. Sookie ate and then took a shower, throwing on some sweats and a t-shirt Amelia left for her in the bathroom. Sookie was so anxious for Amelia to get home so she could talk to her about what she wanted to do...

"Well you look a hell of a lot better today Sookie. Have you heard from Eric? I'm surprised he hasn't shown up here yet" Amelia still could not believe everything Sookie had told her and was furious at Eric for keeping such an intimate relationship a secret from Sookie. She knew Eric technically had every right to fuck whoever he wanted when Sookie and he weren't together, but to have stayed with the girl after his memories came back and never tell Sookie was just wrong. On the other hand, she also knew that Sookie had not been very open or accepting of Eric, but for him to try and blame this on Sookie's actions alone was bullshit. Amelia wasn't sure Sookie could ever forgive Eric, especially because she had so many insecurities after what Bill had done to her. She was simply baffled that Eric would do that and thought she would give Pam a call to find out more.

"Thanks Meels, I think I'm numb, I mean, I don't know if I can cry anymore. I just don't know what I'm feeling. I think it might be a combination of shock and confusion, but mostly I just feel so betrayed. Does that make any sense to you?" Sookie could justify Eric being with another woman before her, although he still should have shared that information with her, but to continue to live with her after the takeover, well that was a hard one for her to accept. Yes, she could say they weren't an official couple, but to her they had made an unspoken promise to each other when Eric left after recovering his memories. She remembered saving Eric and DeCastro from Sigebert and Eric and Pam coming to see her at Merlotte's. Now she just envisioned Eric going back to Camille after she risked her life for him, to do what else but to fuck and feed from her. Now that thought just made her want to throw up. No, she had to stop thinking about him; she couldn't keep doing this to herself. She had to put it behind her so she could move on. It was time for Sookie Stackhouse to make some major changes in her life and hopefully Amelia would help her.

Eric woke for the first time in many centuries without his usual appetite. He could not find it in him to crave anything this evening, not blood or sex. When was the last time that this happened? He had no idea, but he could guess that he did know why. He had fucked things up so badly with Sookie that he was unsure if they were irreparable. He had never, ever imagined that this was how he would lose Sookie and the thought of never looking into her eyes, hearing her laughter, or feeling her skin against his made him long to meet the sun. He had to make things right, if only she would hear him out, but most of all he had to beg for her forgiveness for making her feel betrayed by him. That was the worst. He should have known, he should have listened, but he was too fucking arrogant and proud to have gone to her and opened up. If it took another 1000 years he swore he would make this right. He needed her forgiveness like he needed blood.

Eric showered and dressed in his usual Fangtasia attire and drove his 'Vette' to meet Pam at Fangtasia. He was praying to Odin that Pam had come up with something good because he knew he was at a loss.

The parking lot was empty of all but Pam's black BMW and Eric parked in his usual spot and entered through the service door to his office. When Eric walked into his office Pam was already sitting at his desk with a True Blood in her one hand and a pen and paper in the other. She was writing very fast and stopped when she heard Eric enter. "Good evening Master, how does this night find you?"

Pam's appraising gaze quickly took Eric in and realized he looked gaunt, like he had not fed in weeks and she knew that between the crying and his lack of any blood, Sookie's or True Blood, that he was feeling the effects of his emotions. She wanted to suggest he at least get a True Blood, but even she knew better than to do that right now. She had to get her plan of action into motion because she could not watch Eric starve himself night after night.

"Pam, you know how I'm feeling, so please, just tell me you have come up with a plan for me to receive Sookie's forgiveness."

"I have, but in order for this to work you must do exactly as I ask. You have laughed at me for reading those Dear Abby's articles, but I tell you Eric, the women knows how human's think and behave, and I think I know both as well when it comes to Sookie." Pam looked at Eric for acknowledgment.

"What is your plan?"

"First, you cannot go to her right now. She does not want to see you, and if you attempt to do so you will only anger her more. You must also accept the fact that there will not be a quick fix, however being vampires we do have the advantage of time. We have learned patience throughout the years and definitely know how to get what we want, if given enough time."

Eric warily shook his head in acknowledgement.

"Eric, I need to know what is it that you really want, and you must be honest."

"I want Sookie."

"Eric, that is not good enough. What do want Sookie for? Do you want to own her, fuck her, feed from her, manage her, and/or protect her? What is it you want Eric, and be honest with yourself this time? How do you see your future with Sookie, just what exactly is she to you, really? Because I can guarantee that right now Sookie believes she was less to you than that pet you had. That pet knew about Sookie, yet Sookie knew nothing of her. You gave Camille more power with that one piece of information than you ever gave to Sookie, whether you realize it or not. To Sookie, she was the other women, not your women. Honestly, how you kept sharing anything with Camille after you gained your memories back is beyond even me." Pam was openly angry now and she could feel Eric's anger building as well.

"Sookie is my bonded Pamela, she is my fucking wife, and I have committed myself to her and I want to spend every night with her. For however long that is, I don't know and I don't care, whatever is allowed to us. I know Sookie doesn't want to be one of us and I thought that would get in our way, but I don't care now, I just want her to forgive me. To love me, yes, but right now I just want her forgiveness."

"As far as Camille goes, I now realize I handled that whole relationship the wrong way. I have wanted Sookie from the very first night I laid eyes on her and should have ended it with Camille that night, but I was too angry that Sookie was Bills at first. Then I was angry that I could not remember our time together when I was cursed, and even angrier at Sookie for taking that fucking Tiger as her lover instead of me, since she never forgot our time together. Looking at it now, I admit I should have taken just fangbangers and not kept Camille, and I did sometimes, but she was convenient and she never said a word to me about Sookie. I should have realized Camille knew about Sookie. She must have seen Sookie that first night Sookie came to Fangtasia with Bill. I never allowed Camille back to the bar after that night, but she must have sensed my attraction to Sookie. Also, I never loved Camille, and should have gotten rid of her when she told me how much she loved me. I barely let myself get to know Camille, and when I got more involved with Sookie, I pulled further and further away from her. I was a fool and now I am paying the price." Eric began to tear up and Pam was then reminded that her Master, who has always been right and has always been a pillar of strength, was still a man underneath it all, and still could make mistakes.

"Master, what you did and who you spent time with when you and Sookie were not together is your own business and Sookie has no right to be angry at that. However, if you value her like you say that you do, she did have a right to know about your past because finding out the way she did only makes you look like you were hiding something more than what you and I both know it was. Sookie has been emotionally ruined by that Douche-bag Compton and I would have thought you would have learned from his mistakes and been just a bit smarter."

"Don't you fucking dare to compare me to him, I am nothing like him." Eric was getting angrier and Pam was actually happier to see his temper than to see him so sad.

"I know you are not like him, but I am sure that to Sookie, finding out about Camille like she did only brought her mind right back to Bill's numerous betrayals of her and her trust. You need to explain all of this to Sookie. Sookie has forgiven Bill and I know she will forgive you as well." Pam hoped her words helped comfort him, but she also knew Sookie might have forgiven Bill for hurting her, but she would never take him back. The real question was would Sookie take her Master back?

Pam continued plotting and planning and when the bar opened for the night, Eric was feeling hopeful for the first time since Sookie walked out on him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Charlaine Harris owns them all, lucky lady**

**Thanks again for all the alerts and taking time to review. It mean so much to me. I love to hear all your thoughts. Please keep them coming. **

**Big Shout out to my Beta, Sassyvampmama, who is just the Best!**

**Chapter 4 **

Amelia walked in the door around 6:00 pm, grabbed a soda out of the refrigerator and plopped herself onto the couch next to Sookie. She had been at her new store since 7:00 am and was exhausted. She and Octavia opened up an all green store, called The Organic Stop. Everything in the store was either certified organic or considered environmentally safe. Amelia began to tell her about the store and Sookie was amazed at hearing about all the items that were sold in their shop. Among other things, the store carried stationery, games, clothing, beauty products and home accessories. Their best selling items were their very own line of handmade soaps, lotions and candles. What impressed Sookie the most was that Amelia and Octavia sourced all their ingredients from local farmers and tried to carry as many items made by local residents as possible.

Amelia went on to tell Sookie about the whole premise behind the opening of their shop. She and Octavia wanted to help foster and promote local artists and residents living in the area hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. Listening to Amelia talk about the store and hearing the excitement radiating from her, it only re-enforced Sookie's determination to want to make a new start for herself. Sookie was just about to tell Amelia the changes in her life that she wanted to make when there was a knock on the door.

"Amelia, are you expecting anyone tonight?" Sookie eyes were begging Amelia to tell her yes. She knew that was not the case, but was hoping that it that it might be. She had a very strong feeling about who was behind that door and immediately got up to answer it. She didn't even wait for Amelia's to response before she opened the door and saw HIM.

"What are you doing here? I told you I never wanted to see you again. Please, just leave." Sookie was angry and still very hurt. She could barely look Eric in the eyes when she told him to go. She felt like she didn't even know this person standing in front of her and she certainly didn't have anything left to say to him. He didn't just break her heart; no, he crushed it. Right now she felt empty and no words from Eric's lips could make her whole again.

"Sookie, please, you must listen to me. You mean everything to me. There is so much I need to say to you. I know I fucked up, but you are my wife and I can explain everything. Just hear me out, please." Eric was practically begging but he didn't even care how pathetic he sounded. He had to get Sookie to listen to his explanation of what she had seen in his office, and to make her understand why he never told her about Camille. He tried to think back on his long life to a time he had ever felt this guilty and disgusted, but nothing came to mind. The emotions that Eric had been feeling were overwhelming him. He knew he loved Sookie and wanted her to know it too, but felt that if he declared his love to her now, it would not come across as genuine. He figured Sookie would think it was only a ploy to get her to listen to him. He did however, use the one thing he believed in; their bond. He used it to broadcast all the love he felt for her and his sorrow for the pain he had caused her. This was the first time he had opened the bond up since she left him. He had closed off his end of the bond the moment Sookie walked out of his office. He knew how hurt she was feeling and did not want to compound that with his grief. Now, opening his end of the bond once more, he was praying that Sookie could feel and his emotions and would know that he loved her.

"STOP IT! I know what you are trying to do Eric Northman and it will not work. You're trying to manipulate our bond and I will not have it. I do not want to hear anything you have to say, and I damn well don't want to feel your contrived emotions. None of your words or actions can make what I discovered in your office go away. I can't believe I not only walked in on you kissing another women, but better yet, kissing a women who has been 'yours' for the past five fucking years! No, you betrayed me and you betrayed us. I don't think I could ever trust you again, Eric Northman, and there is no going back. I am only going to move forward now, and I'm doing that alone. You stay away from me. If I can find away to break this bond, I will; I want nothing more to do with you. Consider this a formal separation, and know that if I can break our pledge in the vampire world, trust me, I will. My services are no longer available to vampires and if your new King has a problem with it, then I will find the means to make sure he will be more agreeable myself. Just go back to your fucking Pet, Camille. I hate you Eric Northman. I hate you more than I have ever hated anyone in my entire life. Now Get the Fuck out of here!" Sookie screamed those last few words to him. She tried to remain calm, but just thinking about him and Camille together made her furious.

Eric stood frozen like a statue the entire time Sookie spoke. Not even when she raised her voice to tell him to leave did he move. He heard everything she said and he felt her pain and determination, but he was not giving up. He had just opened his mouth to reply when he felt the movement of air hit him as the door to Amelia's condo was slammed shut in his face.

Sookie stood there looking at the door and listened to Eric's pleas to let him in. After a few seconds of this, Sookie turned around, tears streaming down her face, and asked her friend, "Please make him leave Meels, I can't talk to him anymore." She didn't wait for answer as she ran back to Amelia's guestroom and slammed the door.

Amelia didn't know what to do. She heard everything that was said between Sookie and Eric, though she had never seen that kind of anger coming from Sookie before. Her best friend was hurting and had every right to feel betrayed by him; however, Amelia felt that Sookie should have given him a chance to explain. She decided that if Sookie wasn't going to hear him out, than she would. She opened her door and was shocked at what she saw. Eric's expression was that of a man who was scared. She never thought she would see Eric Northman scared.

"Eric, you…" Amelia didn't have time to finish her thought before Eric began.

"Please Amelia, you have got to let me in, I need to explain to Sookie about everything that happened the other night. Sookie does not understand. I need her to know that what she saw in my office meant nothing to me, that Sookie is the only one for me. She is my wife."

"What she saw meant nothing? Are you fucking kidding me? Sookie saw you kissing your 'pet'; one that you have had for almost five years, one which Sookie never knew about. How the hell could you possibly explain that one, Eric?" Amelia could feel her heart beat picking up and she was getting angrier by the minute. She didn't want to antagonize him too much; besides, she knew she had better calm down because she honestly wanted to hear what he to say.

"I know that I should have not have been kissing another women. It was meant as goodbye kiss. She kissed me and..."

"Oh, please, Eric. You cheated on Sookie, even if it was just a kiss. Who the hell knows what else would have happened if Sookie hadn't walked in on you and this other women. Look Eric, whether it was meant as a kiss goodbye or not, either way you betrayed Sookie's trust in you. What I think is a thousand times worse than a damn kiss is the fact you were with this woman for almost five years and never once bothered to tell Sookie about her. I get that who you were with when you and Sookie weren't together is your own business, but what I don't get is that you went back to your pet after you regained your memories from your time together with Sookie. Oh, yeah, and to add insult to injury, your 'precious pet' knew about Sookie the whole time, while Sookie was clueless about her. Explain that!" Amelia was livid again.

Eric was getting more and more frustrated, but he knew if Sookie wasn't going to hear him out, Amelia was his only chance to get Sookie to understand this fucking mess.

"The only way any of this is going to make sense is if I start from the beginning. Camille, that is her name, came into my bar 5 years ago looking for work. At that time the Great Revelation had not happened yet and our existence was still a secret. She was young, innocent and completely enamored of me. It was at a point in my life that I was getting tired of glamouring every person I fed from and wanted something more permanent and convenient, and simply put, Camille fit that bill. She had no immediate family, she was not from Louisiana, and she wouldn't need to be glamoured every night. It was actually refreshing not to have to hide being a vampire. She accepted me. She made no demands of me and I certainly never promised her anything more than a home and living expenses. I was not faithful to her and I did not live with her in the sense that you think. I bought her a home and I allowed her to decorate it however she wanted to, but it was not my primary residence. I never spent the day with her, and I would only see her a few nights a week. I allowed her to build a life of her own and she seemed content." Amelia watched the emotions shift across Eric's face as he pulled in, then released a deep breath.

"Everything I had with Camille changed that first night Sookie walked into my bar with Bill. Camille was there that night, but only for a short time. Once in a while I would allow her to come with me; however, when I laid eyes on Sookie I knew I had to have her. I had one of my minions' take Camille home immediately, but I should have known Camille would have spotted Sookie. Camille must have realized that was the reason I made her leave Fangtasia so abruptly that night. I can honestly say my interest in Camille was never the same after that night. Had Sookie wanted to be mine then, I would have had Camille on the first plane back to her home state, but that was not the case." Eric was about to continue, but Amelia interrupted him.

"Did Camille ever ask you about Sookie?"

"Never about Sookie directly, but she did ask me every time we were together after that if there was someone else in my life. She felt that I had changed and accused me of having another pet. I told her there was always going to be someone else, and that it would never be just her, but I never shared my feelings about Sookie with her. I honestly didn't know what my feelings were for Sookie. She has brought out so many new emotions in me. As time went on and Sookie continued to avoid me I grew angrier, especially after the Witch war. I was furious with Sookie when she started dating that filthy Tiger and I could not believe she went back to him after we bonded. I kept Camille around because I was jealous and hurt. Camille didn't mean a thing to me. Every time I was with Camille after I was bonded to Sookie I was disgusted with myself, and eventually I stayed completely away from her."

"How could you go back to Camille after you had regained your memories of your time with Sookie? Just think about all of those months of Sookie being confused and hurt, wondering why you didn't come see her and talk to her." Amelia looked at Eric with such anticipation.

"More importantly, why did Sookie never come to see me, Amelia? Could she not have come to me? I waited, but she never came. I wanted to go to her, it killed me not to, but I couldn't. Victor was breathing down my neck. I had to make sure we were all going to survive this take over. I feared that if Victor or DeCastro knew how important Sookie was to me that they would use her against me. I would only go to Camille as a cover, since Victor was having my every move followed. I had to make them believe Sookie didn't have that much influence over me, which is why I kept up appearances with Camille. However, I swear I did not drink from Camille or have sex with her from the time I got my memories back. I thought my plan was going fine until one night Victor told me that DeCastro planned on making Sookie his pet, and I could never allow that to happen to her. That is when I had Sookie come and offer me the ceremonial knife in front of Victor which signified that we were married in the vampire world. I had already told Camille it was over by that time and given her enough money to start a new life somewhere else. She begged me not to glamour away her memories of our time together, and I thought I owed her at least that much, so I allowed her to keep her memories as long as she agreed that she would never return." Eric felt emotionally drained after telling this to Amelia. He only wished it was Sookie he was telling all this to instead.

"So, fast forward to three months later and everything is going great with you and Sookie. Sookie finally comes to Fangtasia, to declare her love for you, and she finds you kissing Camille in your office." Amelia looked at Eric for confirmation. Eric sadly shook his head yes.

"So, Camille just showed up that night and begged for you to take her back? Is that when you decided to lay one on her just for old time sake?" Amelia spat at Eric. She was quite annoyed.

"I should have never returned her kiss; it did not mean a thing to me. I know it was wrong and for that I am sorrier than you will ever know. I know now that I should have handled things differently with Sookie. She should have been told about Camille, instead of finding out about her. For that I am deeply sorry. It kills me that I have caused Sookie so much pain. I know she is hurting but she must forgive me. She is my wife, she is mine." Eric started to tear up and Amelia just shook her head back in forth, knowing that Sookie would not be forgiving him anytime soon.

She told Eric that he needed to stay away for a while to let Sookie work through this. She went on to tell Eric that she would make sure Sookie knew the whole story when the time was right for her to hear it, but that now was not that time. On hearing this Eric turned around and vanished into the night sky in a blink.

'Damn,' Amelia thought, 'those vampires certainly know how to make an exit.'


	5. Chapter 5

**Charlaine Harris owns them all**

**Thanks to everyone for the alerts, reading and reviewing. I can't tell you how much I love to read all your thoughts. It makes my day, that is for sure. I hope you stick with it because Sookie's life is about to change. This is a short one, but we need transition.**

**Most importantly to my beta, Sassyvampmama, thanks for being the Best!**

**Chapter 5**

Amelia was both emotionally and physically drained after Eric left. She went back inside and poured herself a large glass of red wine. She took a few sips and decided to go check on Sookie. She knocked on the door and went in. It looked to Amelia as if Sookie had cried herself to sleep. Lying all around her were a bunch of rolled up used tissues, one was still clinging to her hand. She grabbed the blanket at the foot of the bed and placed it over Sookie and quietly walked back out softly closing the door behind her. She didn't have to be at the store until 11:00 tomorrow and figured they could talk in the morning.

Amelia was up at the crack of dawn. She was an early riser and the first thing she did was make a strong pot of coffee. She figured Sookie was going to need it. Poor girl, Sookie had been through so much, but then so had she. She was glad that Sookie was here with her and she wanted to help her through her pain. She wasn't there for Sookie when she was recovering from the torture, but she was determined to help get her through this heartache. That is something she had experience in and she knew that only time would heal Sookie's heart.

As she was pouring her second cup of coffee, Amelia watched Sookie walk in to the kitchen. To put in bluntly, her friend looked like hell. She had dark circles under her eyes and they were still swollen from crying.

"How are you feeling this morning? Can I pour you a cup of coffee?" Amelia went and grabbed a mug for Sookie as her friend just shook her head yes.

"Here you go, there's sugar on the counter and the creamer is in the refrigerator. Do you want to talk about last night? You do know that I did speak to him and he did tell me his side of all this, right?" Amelia spoke in a monotone voice, not knowing how Sookie would react to her.

"First, Meels, there are so many things I need to thank you for coming to get me the other night, for allowing me to stay with you, and for dealing with Eric last night, but I really don't want to hear what he had to say. I can't trust him, no matter what excuse he gave you. I got most of his excuses the other night and they weren't good enough. I'm done crying over him and I am completely done with vampires. All I want to think about is starting a new life. I need to make changes and I need your help to do that. Will you help me?"

"Of course I will help you Sookie, what kind of changes were you thinking of making?" Amelia was so sincere in her offer to help and decided that now was the time to focus on Sookie and not to push her friend into hearing about what Eric had to say last night. That talk would come another day.

"I want a do-over. I want to move here to New Orleans and get a new job. I want to go back to school, maybe start by taking some on-line classes, and study to get a degree in Library Sciences. I've loved going to the library since I was a child and the thought of making a career as a librarian feels right. The one change I want to make, and will need your help with, is breaking my bond to Eric. I don't want to be bonded to him anymore. I am hoping you can talk to Octavia and maybe she will know a way to break it." Sookie was amazingly calm about all of this and Amelia was processing everything she had told her.

"Sookie I think all your ideas are great, and I am positive you can make them all happen except breaking the bond. Maybe you should think more about that before you do something you might regret later?" Amelia was cut off by Sookie,

"I have thought of nothing else and I am positive that is what I want." Sookie's voice was firm in her declaration.

"Alright then, I will check with Octavia and we will research it. Now, you know you can stay with me. I would love to have you as my roommate again and I will help you find work and do whatever I can do to help you to become a librarian." Amelia gave Sookie a huge smile and went over and put her arms around her friend and gave her a good squeeze. She told her that things were only going to get better from here on out.

Sookie went on to talk more about her plans, letting Amelia know she had inherited money from her Great Grandfather and Claudine and was going to use that to help her with her new life. She then called Sam and told him what she was planning and he was happy to hear that Sookie was putting herself first and finally breaking all ties with the vampires. She also asked him if he would see to her house while she is away, since she hadn't had time to decide what she wanted to do with it. Sam agreed that he would look after it until or if she decided to rent it out. He told her he would miss her, but that he was proud of her, and he agreed to find a renter for her house and would look after it while she was away. Sookie hung up with Sam and called her brother Jason next to let him know she was moving to New Orleans to live with Amelia. He told her he would come see her soon and maybe they could all go to a Saints game in the fall, he treat of course. Typical Jason; he was always thinking about himself.

The girls agreed to drive to Sookie's house the following weekend and to get all her personal items that she wanted. Sookie told Amelia her first priority was to find a job and she did not want to be a waitress any more. Amelia offered to let Sookie work in her shop, but Sookie knew that would be too much time together with her roommate. Amelia went on to tell Sookie about her father's friend, who was looking for a personal assistant. Amelia wasn't interested in it, but thought it would be a great job for Sookie.

"A Personal Assistant, I don't know Meels, do you think that's something I am qualified for?" Sookie wasn't even sure what a personal assistant did.

"I think you would be ideal for this type of job. You are hard working, dependable, intelligent, organized, and beautiful to boot." Amelia gave her wink on the last part of her description.

"What is exactly does this man do that he would need a personal assistant?" Sookie was very curious and listened to Amelia tell her everything she knew about him. She went and got her purse and pulled his business card out of her wallet. Her father had given it to her three days ago when they had met for lunch. Her father didn't approve of her shop and wanted to see Amelia do anything but run an organic, and therefore 'Hippy-esque,' retail store. Amelia handed the card over to Sookie. She took it out of her hands and read it.

Declan Channing, CEO, Channing Enterprises.

Eric had charged into Fangtasia after arriving back from New Orleans, and went immediately to his office. Pam noticed him entering through the front door and knew from just his posture the kind of mood he was in. She didn't need to have any kind of a bond to pick up on that. Obviously things did not go well with his pursuit in winning Sookie back, but she was not surprised. She tried to tell Eric to let Sookie have some space, but he refused. When would he get it through that thick skull of his that she knew how to handle an emotionally distraught Sookie better than him? He just wouldn't get it. She fully understood the meaning of calling Vikings blockheads; Eric was a prime example. She left the service bar, where she had been standing, and went to his office.

"I take it that things did not go well with Sookie, Master? Did she at least hear you out?" She could have bet a million dollars on that being a no, but waited for conformation.

"NO!" Eric roared.

"Master, I am sure Sookie just needs time and space. I know you don't want to hear that, but things have not been going well with how you have been handling Sookie. Would you at least consider doing it my way now?" Pam was hoping that Eric would finally listen to her. She understood Sookie better than most humans did. Pam prided herself on knowing the human psyche and had been studying it longer than some of those famous psychologists. She knew her Master must let Sookie go for now. She tried to tell him of the quote she felt fit this situation; 'If you love something set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If not, it was never meant to be.' Pam first saw that quote hanging on a wall in the home of her former pet. It was embroidered on cloth and placed in a beautifully ornate frame. She always remembers thinking it was the most powerful verbiage she had ever read. Who would have thought humans could be so profound with such simple wording. When she told Eric that quote he thought it nothing but human nonsense. She knew better. It dawned on her that she started to digress and focused back on her conversation with Eric.

"I have no choice Pam, Sookie never wants to see me again. She did not listen to a word I had to say. She slammed the door in my face after telling me off. I did however manage to get Amelia to hear me out. I can only pray that Amelia will tell her the whole story. I love her Pam, she is my wife; she is mine. Now I just have to wait until she realizes that." Eric got up from his chair and walked over towards Pam. He leaned down and placed a kiss on Pam's forehead and thanked her, and then he was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Charlaine Harris owns them all, but one**

**Thanks guys, I never dreamed I would reach 100 reviews and I can't thank you enough for leaving them. Knowing your reading and commenting makes me beyond happy. I just want to say that our Sookie's life has changed and I really think she needed to do that. However, for all you Sookie and Eric fans, like myself, this is still a story about their growth as individuals and as a couple.**

**Sassyvampmama, thanks for your mad beta skills and for just being the Best!**

**Chapter 6**

One Year Later…

The restaurant that Sookie and Amelia were having dinner in wasn't too crowded for a Friday night. The booth they were sitting in was in the far back corner and there was very little lighting except for the small lamp that was illuminating the table. Sookie and Amelia had placed their orders already and were enjoying a nice glass red wine. Amelia was so happy to have this alone time with her friend. Ever since Sookie started working for Channing Enterprises, she saw very little of her.

"Sookie, admit it, you have feelings for Declan." Amelia was goading her best friend to admit her feelings for her boss. Amelia could not get over the transformation Sookie had made over the past year. She was convinced Sookie would make a great personal assistant to Declan Channing, but had no idea she'd take to it like a fish to water. She also knew her friends success was driven by her will to become an entirely new person. Every new challenge she faced was met with sheer determination and success.

Amelia chuckled softly to herself, thinking back at how panicked and intimidated Sookie had been before her initial meeting with Declan Channing. She smiled again, thinking of how Sookie was practically bouncing off the walls when she came back from the interview, having already been hired as his personal assistant. Even then, she felt Sookie was captivated by the man. And who wouldn't be? He certainly was a looker. She was a fool not to have inquired more about the man when her dad initially told her about the position. She assumed he was just another one of her father's uptight business associates; oh how wrong she was. Then Amelia smiled once more and remembered the conversation they had after her interview with Declan a year ago.

"_Well, I don't even have to ask if you got the job, I can tell by the look on your face that it's a yes." Amelia beamed at Sookie walking through the door. _

"_Yes, as a matter of fact I did, and I can't believe he hired me." Sookie shouted. "But I'm determined that I won't let him down, or more importantly, I won't let myself down." Sookie said it with such conviction in her voice that Amelia immediately thought 'who is this person and what has happened to the girl who was so heartbroken these past few days?' _

"_Sookie, sweetie, you are going to be great. He wouldn't have hired you if he didn't think you were capable of doing what the position requires" Amelia leaned back in the corner of the coach and grabbed a pillow and placed in on her lap. "So tell me all about him. First, what does he look like? I know from what my Dad told me he is in his early forty's and is a widower."_

_Sookie just laughed at her friend._

"_Meels, you are a piece of work. I can't believe your first question is 'what does he look like?' Not how was the interview? What will you be doing? Where will you be working? What are your hours? What's the pay going to be? No, all you care about is what does he look like. I'm surprised you didn't ask me if I knew how much he is worth." Sookie let out her breath with a bit of frustration from her friend's question._

"_Sorry girl, but I have my priorities. I want to hear about what he looks like first and then I want to hear about the rest." Amelia scooted herself more into the couch ready for answers._

"_Well, he looks a lot younger than his 43 years. He has sandy brown hair, green eyes and I'd say he was about 6 foot. He appears to be in great shape and he did mention he works out regularly and is runs marathons once in a while. Does that satisfy your question?" Sookie said with sarcasm._

"_No. You didn't say if you find him attractive or not." Amelia quickly replied._

"_The man would definitely be considered attractive Amelia, and I know where this is going. Just so we're straight, I am only interested in being his personal assistant. I am not looking to find another boyfriend anytime soon. Jeez, Amelia that is the last thing I'm thinking of and from what I gathered from the interview, Mr. Channing is a recent widower. He isn't looking for a girlfriend either,, Amelia. He is looking for someone to be his assistant, got that?" Sookie eyed her friend and made a face as to say, don't push it._

"_Alright, alright," Amelia threw her hands out in front of her teasingly in surrender and continued, "I get it, now tell me the rest." _

_Then Sookie went on to tell her everything about Channing Industries, her duties, and her compensation package. What excited Sookie the most was that she would finally have health insurance. She thought it was ironic that when she finally had medical coverage she would probably never have to use it. Just the thought of not worrying about being shot at, staked, drained, or tortured was unbelievably comforting. She practically squealed when she told Amelia that she would be getting a company car and a line of credit at certain department stores. Apparently she would need to buy certain outfits for events that she would be required to attend with Mr. Channing. She also was happy that her hours would enable her to enroll in on line classes. Channing Industries offered to pay for continuing education and Sookie was going to take full advantage. Amelia was just so happy for Sookie and knew no one deserved a second chance more than she did. _

Amelia was focused on her friend who appeared so different than from the woman who was sitting on her couch, a year ago, telling her about her new position.

"Your right Amelia, I admit it, I think I am falling in love with Declan. I never thought I would be able to love a human man, but I can. I thought my telepathy would never allow me to have any kind of a relationship with a normal man, but I have been able to control it and use my shields like I never have before. I'm not sure why, but I am glad. Now granted Declan and I have never been intimate, but when we have ever held each other, dancing, a hug, or a kiss, I have been able to block out his thoughts. I try to always block them, but once in a while I pick up on them. Like I do know he wants to take our relationship to the next level."

"Oh Sookie, you don't have to be a telepath to know Declan has strong feelings for you. You can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. He is a good man Sookie and I think you would be crazy not to let your relationship turn into something more than what it is now." Amelia was so glad to see that Sookie was being open and honest with her and not denying her affections for Declan.

"I think I am hesitant because I don't think he is fully over the death of his wife." Sookie looked defeated.

"Sookie, I'm sure part of him will never stop loving her, but you know you never love any two people the same way. He can still love his wife and you too. Just like a part of you will always love Eric." Amelia was holding her breath and waiting for Sookie to flip out at the mention of Eric's name. For a good month after Sookie's heartbreak, Amelia tried to talk to her about what Eric had told her, but she didn't want to hear it so Amelia never pushed the subject again. However, that was the old Sookie. New Sookie didn't get angry or shut down. To Amelia's happy surprise she continued to be engage in this conversation.

"I've tried very hard not to think about Eric, and when you told me that it wasn't possible to break the bond without endangering my life, I think that only furthered my resolve to never think of him. I realize that I can't do that. I need to let my anger go. I need to forgive him, in order fully open myself up to Declan. I can't forget what Eric did and how he betrayed me, but it made me realize that in order to have a successful relationship, you need open and honest communication. You have to be honest with your feelings and not hide your past. I need to tell Declan everything about Eric and even about Bill too. I also need to let him know about my telepathy." Sookie let a huge breath. It seemed she had been holding that in for an entire year.

"Sookie, Hun, I'm so proud of the woman you have become, and I think it's time for you to know everything Eric told me about what you saw in his office that night. If you want to move forward then you need to know everything. This way you'll have all the facts." Amelia was so relieved to be telling Sookie this information. She hated her not knowing the whole truth.

Amelia went on to tell Sookie everything that Eric had told her, along with how saddened he was. Sookie listened, and when she was through, she told Amelia that she was glad to know, but it still didn't change the fact that she didn't think she could ever trust Eric again. That without trust, there is no true love. She said she was not blaming everything on Eric. She knew that she handled a lot of things wrong when it came to her and Eric, but that she couldn't go back to that life. She felt more determined than ever to open up to Declan and to fully love him.

There was a large crowd tonight at Fangtasia and Eric was sitting on his throne entertaining the vermin, as Pam always so nicely puts it. Many came to the bar just to see him (or in hopes of being seen by him) and they looked upon him with sheer admiration. Eric appeared to be completely bored and as long as no one offered themselves to him, the crowd was safe. Pam was getting so frustrated with her Master. Nothing she said or did could get him to break out of his foul mood and she didn't know how much longer she could take it. She tried so many times to get Eric to feed. She offered him every type of blood bag she could find; women, men, demons, even some Were's and shifters. Nothing would tempt him to feed, let alone entice him to get a quick fuck, and Gods knew he could use a good lay. He's been downright petulant lately. She tried to reason with him. She knew it was because of Sookie that he would not feed on anyone. She told him that Sookie did not look at them as having any kind of relationship, let alone a marriage. She refused the bond and considered them separated, but Eric would not listen.

"Master, how much longer are you going to continue refusing to feed from these blood bags? It has been a year; you need to accept that Sookie is not coming back." Pam had silently communicated that to her Master across the room from him. Eric immediately got out of his throne and in a blink of an eye went to his office. Pam followed behind him. She was going to try to get Eric to face the harsh and bitter facts about his relationship with Sookie.

"Please Master, you must move on." Pam was completely convinced that Sookie would never be Eric's. Now she just needed him to believe that.

"Sookie is my fucking wife and I will not betray our marriage. I have already betrayed her once and will never do that again. If you continue to hound me about how I choose to exist, then I will compel you to never speak her name again to me." Eric was calm in his words, and for once, Pam was at a loss as to what to say.

"Eric, you have had Sookie followed throughout this past year. It is quite apparent that Sookie has made a new life for herself and has no intentions of coming back. From what Amelia has told me, Sookie has forced herself to become a new person. She is happily employed with Declan Channing and is quite successful as his personal assistant." When Pam mentioned Declan's name Eric let a low growl and did not look pleased. Sookie has never slept with Declan, of that Eric was sure, but it was apparent from his investigators that Sookie and Declan appeared to be very fond of each other. Eric had a whole file full of Sookie's daily activities since he left Amelia's that night. He also had countless photos of her both alone and with her employer.

"I only want to see you happy, Eric, and I'm afraid that your prolonged misery will harm you." Pam was truly heartbroken for her Master.

"Pam, she is _mine_ and I know we will be together again one day." Pam nodded in agreement with Eric and decided not to say another word. If he wanted to continue to drink that vile liquid, that True Blood, then so be it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Charlaine Harris owns all but one**

**A great big thanks to all of you who have taken time to read this story and for those of you that leave me your thoughts, it's beyond exciting to know what you're are thinking and how you're feeling. I hope you are enjoying the ride because it's just getting started.**

**To my beta, Sassyvampmama, thanks and you know you're the BEST!**

**Chapter 7**

Sookie was on her way to a charity auction sponsored by the Pelican Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Channing Industries. Tonight's charity event was to help promote literacy throughout the Louisiana public school system. Louisiana's literacy rate was one of the lowest in the U.S., and Sookie was excited for the opportunity to help change those numbers through her involvement with Pelican. Sookie had a soft spot for Pelican and had become very involved in its daily activities. Declan had originally bought the publishing company for his wife, who had a love of books and Louisiana that rivaled Sookie's own love for her home state.

The publishing house published well over 1500 titles, and the main stable of authors wrote about Louisiana and its Southern Culture. Among many genres of literature covered were cook books, history, statistical data, children's book and a fictional mystery series about vampires in the south. Sookie laughed at that and thought how real could that be? Tonight's charity event was to help promote literacy throughout the Louisiana public school system. Louisiana's literacy rate was one of the lowest in the U.S., and Sookie was excited for the opportunity to help change those numbers through her involvement with Pelican.

Amelia walked into the room and admired her friend. Sookie was stepping into her beaded backless gown. It was a full length, V-neck teal dress with delicate beading that ran from under her breasts down all along the empire waist. It was much nicer than anything she would have worn before, back in her previous position as a vampire go-to girl. To accompany the dress, she was wearing 3 inch silver open-toed strappy sandals that showed off her perfectly up-kept nails; every two weeks Sookie had a French manicure and pedicure. It was only one of the many new luxuries she treated herself to since going to work for Declan.

"Is Declan picking you up or is he sending a car over?" Amelia asked her friend as she helped her zip her dress up. She walked around to face Sookie, and said, "You look stunning Sookie; you're going to take his breath away."

The first thing Sookie thought of from her friends comment was; '_it sure is nice to be with someone who has breath for me to be able to take it away.'_ Her life had changed so drastically over this past year and she was looking forward to starting a new chapter with Declan. She and Declan were planning on going way alone for the first time this weekend. They were going to stay at his beach house on the Gulf Shore; Sookie loved the ocean and was looking forward to lying out on the beach. Sunning herself was a past time she seriously missed.

"I'm actually driving over to Declan's house with my over-night bag and we are going to leave for the Gulf tomorrow morning." Sookie went over and grabbed her bag and purse off the bed.

"Wow, Sookie, this is the first time you are staying over his house, isn't it?" Amelia was surprised. She thought it was about time. Declan lived in his family home located in the Garden District, a very famous part of the city of New Orleans. It was one of the most beautiful areas of the city and there was a lot of old money residing there. Declan had moved into his family home with his wife ten years ago when his parents had both passed away, one right after the other. He had continued to live there even after his wife, Sarah, had passed away two years ago.

Spending the night at his house was going to be a big step for Sookie and Declan's relationship. In the past, Sookie had told Amelia she felt like she was invading another women's home whenever she was working at Declan's house. There were memories of his wife everywhere throughout the house. She knew if things were going to change between her and Declan, she was going to have to talk to Declan about his deceased wife. Tonight was her night to tell Declan everything. She was not going to sleep with him until he knew all there was to know about her. There were also things in Declan's past that Sookie needed to know. He had kept some things back from her, she could tell from time to time when she dropped her shields, and she needed answers before they took that particular step forward.

"Well, have a wonderful time tonight. I know how hard you worked on this event and I cannot wait to hear all the details of your weekend at the beach. Oh, and when I say details I mean," Amelia lifter her hands up and spread her hands apart with palms facing each other and she kept on widening the gap, " just how _'great'_ of a lover he is."

Amelia winked at her at those last remarks and Sookie just shook her head and said, "Amelia, you are beyond bad."

Sookie drove over to Declan's house, punched in the gate code and drove to the side garage. She parked the car and went into the house through the side door. Declan had a large office in his home and most days Sookie preferred to work from there. The Channing Industries corporate offices were just a short 15 minute ride south of Declan's house, but Sookie rarely worked at corporate and preferred the solitude of his home office instead. She found she was much more productive and most of the time she was in her car running one errand after another anyways.

Channing Industries main business was its Offshore Drilling Services division. That part of the company specialized in offshore drilling and support services in the Gulf of Mexico. Channing Industries also had one of the largest fleets of offshore supply vessels and anchor handling vessels in the entire Gulf area.

When Sookie was hired she learned about the history of Channing Industries and was very impressed at how they had impacted the nation throughout the company's history. Declan's grandfather, Marshall Channing, designed and manufactured Channing Boats; these boats were amphibious craft used for the invasion of Normandy on D-day. He also designed and manufactured PT boats, which were the first American airborne lifeboats. Before WWII they operated one manufacturing plant with less than 70 people, during the height of the war they had six plants and over 15,000 employees. By the mid 1960's, Channing Industries had sold off all their production plants but still had a number of ship yards that they continued to own. Some of these yards are used to house their current sea vessels and others house Declan's private yachts for repairs and restorations.

Sookie still couldn't comprehend that she working for such a large company. She also knew that Declan never wanted to be running this company, but he didn't have much of a choice. She didn't know all the details of how he became the CEO, but was hoping to learn more about his past very soon. She did, however, learn that Declan loved to work with his hands and during his early twenty's he had worked on an offshore drilling rig in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Well, he certainly had done a turnabout in careers, just as she had. She and Declan definitely connected once she had started working so closely with him, and she felt that they had a lot more in common that she would have ever thought at first. She was getting more and more excited for their future together and could not wait to begin it. She walked through the back hallway calling out for Declan.

"Dec, I'm here, and were going to be late if you don't get down here soon." Sookie yelled up the stairs.

Declan's home was beautifully decorated. She loved the color scheme; it was mainly whites mixed with yellows, sage green and touches of pink. You certainly knew a woman chose the designs and colors; yet as feminine as it was, it was very inviting. Sookie loved the curved staircase and the second floor balcony looking over the entrance way. As with many homes in the Garden Section it also had both upper and lower front porches that were lit up with the most magnificent gas hurricane lamps. Each porch was scattered with beautiful wicker and rattan furniture. Some nights, when Sookie had to work late she would bring her laptop out on the lower porch and work from the large basket swing.

"Sook, you look amazing. How is it possible that you take my breath away every time I see you?" Declan had startled Sookie with his comment, as her mind was focusing on their upcoming night together and she hadn't seen him approaching her.

"What?" She gazed upon him in his designer suite, custom made to fit him like a glove. She loved a black suit with a crisp white collared shirt on a man, and tonight Declan was wearing a teal tie, the color matching her dress exactly. She couldn't get over how handsome he was and he certainly knew how to wear a suit the right way.

"Now, how did you manage to be wearing a tie in the same color as my dress, Mr. Channing?" Sookie had a good idea what little birdie gave him the information, but was waiting for him to confess.

"Ah, I have my ways, and I never give my secrets out." He winked and laughed, and Sookie just shook her head. _'Amelia,'_ she thought, but it tickled her pink to know that Declan wanted to match her dress. He was always surprising her in these little ways.

"Are you ready to go? Declan asked Sookie and grabbed his car keys.

Tonight he was driving and most times he preferred it that way. He didn't like being driven around in the company limo. He had a passion for cars, and had a number of them. He also loved to race motorcycles and had even taken Sookie out a few times on one of his favorites. But his true obsession was sailing. As much as he liked fast cars and even faster motorcycles, he enjoyed the ease and solitude of sailing. Sookie had only been out once with him; he had a 37 ft boat and it killed him that he never had the time to go out in it.

Sookie and Dec made the social rounds throughout the evening. Dec was terrible at remembering people's names and he relied heavily on Sookie cuing him as to the identity of whoever chose to approach him or who he needed to talk to. Dec was so impressed that Sookie always remembered everyone's name after meeting them once or seeing a picture of them. Sookie seemed to have the social graces of an angel and knew just what each person liked to talk about. She quickly became the one thing that made these social events bearable for Dec. After his wife died he had hated attending these types of events, but now he looked forward to them, and especially to having Sookie by his side.

The charity event was a huge success; over $500,000 dollars had been raised to help fight illiteracy. Sookie knew Dec made a considerable contribution and it warmed her heart knowing how much Dec loved his home state of Louisiana and that he gave so much to help it prosper. He and Sookie left the event shortly after the last item was auctioned off.

"You're being so quiet, are you tired Sook?" Declan cast his eyes away from the road to her and thought tonight's events must have worn her out. He was glad the event wasn't too long and couldn't wait to get their first weekend together started.

"No, I'm not tired, I just have a lot on my mind and I'm anxious to get back to your place and talk. There are a lot of things I need to say to you, and well, I'm a bit nervous." Sookie was going to be completely honest with her feelings and hold nothing back. After all, she was the new and improved Sookie.

"I know, there's a lot I need to say to you too. And just so you know, I'm just as nervous." Declan never thought he could feel this way about another women. After his wife's death, when anyone suggested that he would meet someone and fall in love again, he literally wanted to shove his fist through their face for even suggesting it. Now he was falling in love with Sookie. He was torn, he felt guilty; like he was betraying his dead wife and the love they shared. He hoped Sookie would understand his feelings.

It didn't take them long to get back to Declan's and as soon as they entered the house Sookie slipped her shoes off and went straight into the family room and plopped down on the couch. Declan followed her in and removed his jacket and tie and slipped his own shoes off as well.

"Would you like a glass of wine or Gin and Tonic?" Declan thought it might help ease them into their discussion.

"I would love a glass of water, thanks."

Declan went over to the bar and grabbed a beer for himself and a glass of ice water for Sookie. He walked back over to the couch, handed her the water and sat down. He began the conversation.

"Do you want to go first or would you like me to?" Dec knew Sookie was anxious and wanted to make things easier for her. When he first told her he wanted more than a working relationship with her he knew she was apprehensive. He felt her attraction for him and he was happy that Sookie was so honest about her feelings towards him. However, he was surprised that Sookie told him there were things she needed to tell him about her life before they could have an intimate relationship. He thought he had everything figured out about Sookie, but she was adamant that they needed to have this discussion.

"Like I said before, there are a lot of things you don't know about me. I know I told you that I came to New Orleans because I had had my heart broken and wanted to start my life over, but there was a lot more to my move than my heartache." Sookie was looking directly into Declan's eyes for a sign of encouragement. Declan nodded his head as if to say, 'go on'.

"I guess I need to start at the beginning and you have to promise not to interrupt me. I just need to get it all out in the open and then you can ask me anything you want. Do you promise?"

Immediately Declan responded, "Yes."

"Some things I am going to say to you will probably shock you and will sound unbelievable, but I promise you, everything I'm about to tell you is real. It is my past and it is part of who I am now."

"Sookie we all have pasts, me included, but I promise you my feelings will not change because of what you are about to tell me. I want to know everything about you and I want you to know everything about me." Declan said with conviction and it made Sookie realize how lucky she is to have met him. She trusted him. She took a huge breath and shakily let it out.

She proceeded to tell Declan everything about her life, starting with meeting her first vampire. Declan already knew about her life with her Gran, she talked about her Gran a lot to him. She told him of her relationship with Bill and continued on to the night she walked in on Eric and his pet at Fangtasia. She told him how Eric came to New Orleans to try to explain what she saw and how she told him she never wanted to see him again.

Declan knew everything now; the vampires, the telepathy, the bonding, pledging, the fairy torture, and the betrayal. She was exhausted by the emotional reminiscence, but it felt like a 50lb weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders. She couldn't believe Dec stayed quiet the whole time, His expressions had changed frequently throughout her recant, but he never said a word. She knew he must have thought she was crazy; possibly even an escapee from a local loony bin. She let her shields down to hear what was going through his mind.

_Telepathy, can she hear what I'm thinking right now?…bonded to a vampire…do I need to know what that means?…fairy?…Does she still love this Eric…Does he love her?…I can't believe all the pain and torture she has endured and is so strong…She is amazing…Can you really her me, Sookie?…_

Declan new about vampires, he was familiar with some and he knew about Were's too, he had worked with one when he was on the oil rig, but fairies? He wasn't too sure about that, and the telepathy thing really shook him for a loop. His eyes lit up when he was thinking, _'can she hear me?'_ Sookie looked at him and said she could hear him and that she would answer all of his questions.

Declan had a lot of questions and Sookie answered them all, one after the other. Declan appeared to take everything in stride. He was mostly blown away about Sookie being a telepath. She explained how she could put up shields and block out peoples thoughts, and she assured him that she did not listen to him that way. She did say that from time to time she used it to help her in her position and Declan told her that he promised never to ask her to use her gift for his own personal gains. He was horrified at how the vampires used Sookie, and he was truly worried about them coming and taking her away from him someday. She told him that whatever Eric had told the King of Nevada about her not working for them must have worked because she had not heard from even one vampire the entire past year. She felt confident that she was free of them. Declan did not feel so confident, but that was for another discussion. The one question Declan didn't know if he would want the answer to was the one that he finally had to ask.

"Are you still in love with Eric?" He knew he had no right to be upset if she was. He still loved his wife, yet he didn't want her to love Eric. He was being selfish.

Sookie looked up at him; she must have sat there for a good thirty seconds before she answered him.

"My feelings for Eric are very complicated."

"What exactly does that mean? It's either yes or no?" For the first time during the night, Dec was getting upset.

"Then yes and no." Sookie said in such a neutral tone that it seemed to only irritate him more.

"Can you be more definitive? That doesn't tell me much, Sook." Dec spat at her and she realized that this was the first time she had seen him direct his anger towards her.

"Yes, I love Eric, but no, I am not in love with him. Is that more definitive?" Sookie's temper started to get the best of her, and she remembered that old Sookie would probably start stamping her feet or leave in huff rather than having an adult conversation about her feelings. The new and improved Sookie was not going to run away. New Sookie was going to articulate her feelings. No matter how uncomfortable is was for her or for Dec, she was going to remain calm and discuss her feelings.

"Dec, I will always love Eric in some small way, and I know he has probably has feelings for me too. I can't say he loves me, because he never told me that. However, he kept many things from me; he hid another woman from me, he hurt me deeply, and caused me to lose all trust in him. You must know that I have a lot of trust issues." She stopped again to gather her thoughts.

"All my life I have been able to read people's thoughts, yet hearing their words come out of their mouths seemed to always contradict their thoughts. That can really do a number on a person. Compound my telepathic abilities with the loss of my parents, my Uncle's abuse, Bill's betrayal and Eric's other woman… Well hell, I think anyone in my shoes would have issues with trust. However, I have not lost faith. I'm trying to learn from my experiences and become a better person. That is one of the reasons I want to be completely open and honest with you. I'm trying to do it right this time. I believe it was too late with Eric. I will always love him, but I cannot be with him. He lost my trust."

She paused for a second to let the importance of her words sink in, "I don't want that to happen with us, and I know now that I was partly to blame for what happened with Eric. I didn't tell him how I felt about him when I should have. I should have been honest with him from the moment he left my house after the Witch War. My behavior helped to cause Eric's actions. I know that now, but that still doesn't make what Eric did to me right. What it does do, is it makes me able to forgive him. By forgiving Eric and acknowledging that I will always love him in some way, it frees me to fall in love with, and give my heart to, whomever I choose."

Sookie took a moment to look into Dec's eyes, hoping that the sincerity of her next words would be conveyed to him, "I choose you Dec. Do you choose me?" Sookie looked at Dec with such hope and waited for his answer.


	8. Chapter 8

**Charlaine Harris owns all but one.**

**Thanks everyone for your enthusiastic reviews. I think we can all agree it's nice to read a more mature Sookie. She definitely needed to see her potential and hopefully someday "others" will too. Thanks again for reading and I hope you all stick with it!**

**To my wonderful friend and beta, Sassyvampmama, thanks for the being the Best!**

**Chapter 8**

Dec was mesmerized by Sookie and her words. He would have to be a complete fool to not choose to have her in his life, especially since she had already chosen him. All he could do was lean over and kiss her. The kiss was meant as a confirmation to Sookie, as a compete acceptance of her. When the kiss ended he replied with a definitive "Yes".

Tears began to run down her face, she was overwhelmed. She was relieved to have finally been able to tell Dec everything about her past and about her feelings for him now. It was such a cathartic experience, these were tears of relief and joy she was shedding. She was so happy Dec wanted her and that he had accepted her past and that he even reciprocated her feelings for him. She felt proud of herself for taking this chance with Dec.

She shook her head, hoping to erase all thoughts of Eric from her mind. It was too late to change anything about her time with Eric; she needed to stop thinking about him. Dec was the one she needed to focus on, not Eric, if she was going to make her relationship with him work. And she really, really wanted it to work. She could see a future with Dec, whereas any future her and Eric might have once had was ruined the moment his lips touched another woman.

"There are still some things I need you to tell you about my past, Sook." Dec's words brought her back from her wandering thoughts and made her realize there was still more to discuss.

The rest of the evening was spent talking about Declan's past, and he opened up and offered himself completely to her. He told Sookie more about his childhood, his relationship with his wife Sarah, and how he felt torn about loving Sookie. He talked a lot about his relationship with his parents and about Sarah. He also told Sookie that he and Sarah had wanted children, but that he could not father them. He wanted to make sure that Sookie knew everything before she committed to him. Sookie listened and learned a lot more about the man she wanted to be with, and she told him that this new information did not change her mind. She knew they were going to face challenges in their lives together, and they were both going to have to be patient in regards to each other's pasts.

Sookie was happy that he was telling her everything and for the love that he shared with his wife. It wasn't easy to compete with the memory of his dead wife, but Sookie admired the love he had for her. He would always love Sarah, she accepted that. She wasn't trying to fill her shoes and she made it very clear to him that if that is what he was looking for, they could not be together. He assured her that was not the case. He told her he felt he was given a second chance when Sookie walked in his office for the first time looking to be his personal assistant. He told her he hired her because she reminded him of Sarah in some ways. He saw her desire to want to make changes in her life and her unwillingness to apologize for her lack of formal education. He saw her light, as he called it, and that was the biggest similarity to his late wife. He wanted to assure her that it had had nothing to do with her looks, but the kind of person she was inside.

Sookie already knew that she looked nothing like his wife. His wife had been part African American, her skin a smooth and creamy cappuccino color, and she was easily one of the most beautiful women Sookie had ever seen a picture of. She learned from Dec that Sarah being mixed had been a major issue with his parents. His parents were not accepting of her ethnicity and it took many years for them to welcome her into their family. Sookie liked that Dec didn't see people for what they were on the outside, he only saw the person for who they were on the inside. Sookie felt that was one of the main reasons why she liked him so much, she too felt the same way about people.

When they finally finished talking it was close to 3:00 am and they were exhausted, both emotionally and physically. Sookie could barely stand, so Dec carried her upstairs to his room. He removed her dress and he slipped out of his shirt and pants and they both crawled into bed. Dec spooned up against Sookie, their bodies fitting together perfectly, and both fell right to sleep thinking how they had their newly combined future ahead of them.

The next day Sookie and Dec woke up around 10:00 am, showered and drove to Dec's beach house. It was a two hour drive and Sookie laid back in silence reflecting on how her life had drastically changed over the course of the last year. She felt comfortable enough with Dec that she didn't feel the need to talk; instead she reveled in her excitement of what was to come for them. As soon as they arrived at the house, Sookie and Dec couldn't keep their hands off each other. They made love for the first time and Sookie basked in the tenderness that Dec showed her. They only ventured out of the house once to take a swim and walk on the beach. The rest of the weekend they made love on just about every surface of his home.

When Sunday evening came Sookie dreaded going back to the city. She called Amelia to let her know she was going to stay over Dec's instead of driving home late and they made arrangements to meet for breakfast the next morning. Amelia was already sitting at the table working on her second cup of coffee when Sookie finally sat down to join her.

One look at Sookie and Amelia knew right away that Sookie and Dec must have come to some sort of an understanding. Sookie was simply beaming. She looked like the cat that had swallowed the canary and Amelia was more than a little anxious to hear all the sordid, and hopefully steamy, details.

"Well, I take it things went well?" she said with a smirk.

'Oh Amelia, things went better than well." Sookie was interrupted when the waitress came over and asked Sookie if she would like some coffee. She poured her a cup and Sookie immediately added cream and took a sip. Amelia told the waitress they would need some time before they ordered and then turned back to Sookie, who started speaking again immediately.

"I told him everything, and he didn't care. He was a little freaked out about me being a telepath so I assured him that I could effectively block out his thoughts. He asked a lot of questions about my ties to the vampires in general, and of course, about Eric specifically. He gave me more details regarding his life story and about his feelings for his late wife. It was an exhausting night, and an even more exhausting weekend, but I have never felt better. I feel like I have finally become the person I was meant to be. Does that make any sense?" Sookie looked at her friend for conformation.

"Sookie, I am so happy for you, and so proud of the women you have become. You have worked so hard to change what you were; you really do deserve happiness and I am glad that you have finally found it." Suddenly Amelia's face went from serious and caring to snarky and suggestive. She wiggled her eyebrows as she asked, "Now girl, tell me the truth, did you finally get laid?"

Amelia laughed as Sookie chastised her friend for being so blunt. Sookie was not the kiss and tell type of person but she did tell her friend how romantic and wonderful her weekend was with Dec and that she had no complaints. They enjoyed their meal and Sookie told Amelia she would see her at the condo later that night.

Another year passed and Sookie and Dec's relationship was going great. They weren't sure, after their relationship became intimate, how it was going to work with her working for him _and_ being his girlfriend, but everything seemed to work out just fine. Their working relationship never interfered between their personal one and they never seemed to get tired of spending so much time with each other.

On the one year anniversary of the night that they shared their pasts with each other, Dec proposed to Sookie. He took her to his beach house and asked her to marry him on bended knee out on the beach at sunset. Sookie cried tears of happiness, never thinking she would get her chance at a "normal" life, and immediately said yes.

Sookie called Amelia right away and told her the good news. Amelia was ecstatic and told her she better be the first person to see her ring. Dec had asked Sookie to move in with him after she had accepted his proposal, and Sookie had agreed to that as well. She didn't want to wait until they were married to live with him, and honestly, she was tired of going back and forth between two different places. Most of the time she stayed at Dec's anyway so she might as well make it permanent.

Amelia was sad to see Sookie move out, but she had known that this day would come. Sookie and Dec planned to get married the following spring and Amelia was excited to help Sookie plan it. Sookie knew that she didn't want a large wedding. She wanted a small intimate ceremony held under a tent in the garden of Dec's New Orleans home. For once, life was going great for Sookie and she felt truly blessed because of it.

It was yet another lonely night at Fangtasia for Eric, even though the crowd was just as large as normal. Thursday nights were ladies night and it always drew in a lot of people. Eric and Pam were in his office going over their inventory when Pam noticed that Eric seemed awfully quite. These past two years had taken a toll on Eric, and in turn, on her as well.

Eric was in complete denial about Sookie and her life with Declan Channing. Pam was actually happy that Sookie had become involved with this man when she had. She thought this would finally be the straw that broke the camel's back when it came to Eric and his devotion to Sookie. Pam had finally stopped trying a year ago to get Eric to move on from Sookie, but he was still completely convinced that Sookie would come back to him eventually.

Eric's cell phone rang and he immediately took the call after looking at the caller ID. It was the private investigator that he had hired and had been using to keep track of Sookie to make sure she remained safe. After a moment of awkward small-talk, the investigator bluntly told Eric that Sookie and Declan had become engaged earlier that evening at Declan's home on the Gulf.

Sitting in the chair across the desk from Eric, Pam heard everything that the investigator said, since vampires had excellent hearing, and she was not sure how Eric was going to react to this bit of information. He appeared to be taking the news calmly, for now, and Pam waited for his reaction as he hung up his phone. For a moment there was no movement from Eric, until he finally laid his phone very gently on his desk, then placed his hands on his knees and took in an unneeded breath. The measured way that he was moving worried Pam, and she needed to make sure that he was okay.

"Master, are you alright?" She asked outright since there was no reason to pretend she didn't know what was just told to him.

"She cannot marry this man. I allowed her to carry on this relationship of hers, flaunting her independence, but I cannot let her marry him. She is my wife, she is _mine_." Eric said this with absolute conviction and Pam was astonished that Eric was still steadfast in his belief that Sookie was still his.

"Eric, I know you love Sookie; there is no denying it, but if you love her like you say you do, then you must let her go. She has moved on and you finally need to do so as well." She saw the pain in his eyes and she felt the sense of loss he was feeling through their own bond. It was breaking her long-dead heart to see her master in this much pain.

"I cannot give up Pam. It has killed me not to go to her over these last two years. I was convinced that she needed this space to grow and I have seen that she has done so. I just didn't think she would grow away from me and fall for a human." Pam thought Sookie wasn't the only one to have grown. She realized in that moment that Eric had changed along with Sookie. She never dreamed that Eric would have been so devoted to Sookie these past two years. He was also being open and honest about his feelings for Sookie, something he had never done before.

He went on to tell Pam that Sookie had been the only woman he had ever been in love with. He was at a loss, and that was a first for Eric. Pam got up and walked over to her Master, and with a tear in her eye she leaned over to Eric and hugged him. She wished she could take his pain away, for she too, felt all of it along with him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Charlaine Harris own them all but one**

**Thanks again guys for all your wonderful reviews and putting me on your story alerts and favorites. It means so much to me to hear what you are thinking. Hope you stick with it. I would definitely consider this another transitional chapter, short but to the point. Enjoy!**

**To my wonderful friend and beta, Sassyvampmama, thanks for being the Best!**

**Chapter 9**

Sookie found that she loved sharing a home with Dec. She felt like his home was slowly becoming hers and Dec had encouraged her to make any changes she wanted to the interior. She didn't make any drastic changes, however the ones she did make were done gradually, in hopes that it would make it easier for Dec to adjust. She knew once they were married she would feel like it was finally their home.

Work was going great for both of them, but Dec had been doing a lot of traveling recently. His company was looking into a new acquisition that had required Dec to travel back and forth to the west coast many times during the negotiations. Sookie sometimes joined him, but when Dec asked her if she was going to going to go to San Diego with him that particular morning she had opted to stay behind and work on some things for the publishing company.

Dec was planning to turn the day to day operation of Pelican over to her soon, and she was planning to become the Vice President of Operations. She had already put her heart and soul into it as it was her favorite subsidiary of Channing Enterprises. She had surprised herself, Dec, and several of Pelicans editors with her keen insight on spotting new talent and had even signed on some very promising authors. Working at Pelican was truly a dream come true for Sookie.

She had thought that she wanted to work as a librarian because of her love for books, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would be running a publishing house at some point. She was still working towards her degree in Library sciences by taking some classes on-line, but had chosen to take a semester off so she could settle into her new position without having to worry about school work as well. She was too busy already with work and planning a wedding to add more to her already over-flowing plate.

After Dec left to go to the airport, Sookie took a long shower, got dressed, and went down stairs to grab some breakfast before walking into what was now considered her office. She loved not having to get in a car to go to work. After her second cup of coffee while sitting at the breakfast bar, Sookie finally got up and dragged herself into the office and started up her computer. She was checking her email when she received a phone call that would alter her whole life.

"Hey Meels, what's up?" Sookie answered after looking at her caller ID. She thought it was slightly odd that Amelia was calling her this early, but it wasn't completely unheard of. She had a date with a new guy last night, and usually called to dish about her dates the morning after.

"Sookie, where's Dec? Please tell me he is with you. "Amelia practically screamed through the phone.

"No, he was going to San Diego today. Why, what is the matter? Why do you want to know where Dec is?" Sookie sounded confused.

"Sookie, when was the last time you spoke to him." Amelia asked nervously, hoping that Sookie would say she had just talked to him.

"Early this morning before he left, what is the matter?" Sookie heard the office line ringing and told Amelia to hold on. She placed her cell phone on her desk and picked up the other line, effectively cutting Amelia off. That was when Amelia heard a heart wrenching scream coming from Sookie.

"Sookie, Sookie, are you there? Sweetie I'm coming right over." Amelia knew right then and there what she had feared had happened. A Channing Enterprises company jet went down somewhere over the Arizona desert and she had figured that Dec was on that plane. Amelia knew from the news coverage that there were no survivors. She rushed out of the house, knowing that her friend needed her now, and she may have broken more than a few traffic laws getting to her side.

The death of Dec was a complete shock to everyone, but no one was more shocked than Sookie. It was headline news and the media were relentless in their efforts to try to interview Sookie. Sookie was not prepared and was too in shock to talk with them. She refused to speak to anyone about Dec and was, quite understandably, a complete basket case for the first few days. Amelia stayed with her that first week and handled all the calls. She made sure Sookie didn't do anything to hurt herself; she wasn't sure what Sookie would do after being faced with such a monumental loss. Sookie stayed in her room for the first two days and simply refused to eat. Amelia made sure she had at least water to drink, but didn't push her to eat any food.

On the third day Sookie came out of her room, her eyes all swollen, and told Amelia that she had decided to face the fact he was gone and that she wanted to help make the necessary arrangements. She knew what Dec liked, and she knew that he would want his death, and by extension his funeral, to reflect his life. Dec was a prominent business man in the New Orleans community and his death was big news. There were over 500 people who showed up and paid their respects at the viewing, but Sookie had made sure that there was a private service for his closest friends and what little family he had left. Dec had no siblings and both his parents were only children, so all of the relatives that came were distant.

A week after his death, Sookie met with Declan's lawyer. He had requested this meeting; she wasn't sure what he was going to tell her, but she was hoping he wouldn't make her leave Dec's house right away. She still couldn't grasp that Dec was dead and she kept thinking that she was going to wake up and this would all be a bad dream. She asked Amelia to come with her to the lawyer's office for emotional support. What she wasn't expecting, and had never dreamed of, was that the lawyer told her that Dec had left his entire company to her and most of his personal assets as well. He had left a portion of his net worth to some charities, but the main part of his estate went to her. Including the Garden District house and the beach house on the Gulf, Sookie was now worth over $500 million dollars.

Sookie and Amelia were completely silent the whole way home in the car. Amelia drove, while Sookie was trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was now worth so much. She always knew that Dec was wealthy, but it just never registered he was worth that much. Amelia parked the car and they both went straight into the family room and silently sat down.

After a few moments of silence, Amelia couldn't take it any longer, and blurted out, "Oh, my God Sookie, what are you going to do? I can't believe you are the new owner of Channing Industries. Holy shit! Sookie are you even interested in running the company?"

"I can't even believe Dec is gone, let alone being the owner of Channing Industries. I don't want any of it Meels, I just want him back." Sookie started to cry and Amelia leaned over and held her friend as mournful sobs wracked her body. When Sookie stopped crying she told Meels that the only part of the company she was interested in was Pelican Publishing. She wanted no part of the rest of it; it was all meaningless without Dec.

Within six months after Dec's death, Sookie had made all of the arrangements for most of his holdings to be sold off with the exception of three things. There were two companies that were currently interested in purchasing the Channing Offshore Drilling and Services division of the company and she had buyer for the ship yards, ships and all. It was an overwhelming process, and Sookie made sure she hired the right people to walk her through it. It took another six months to close the deals and then all of Channing Industries was sold off, except for Pelican. That was the only part of Channing Industries that she was interested in keeping.

Sookie had been through more in one year than most people have to endure in an entire life time. She was completely drained and felt that she needed a change. She wanted to get away for a while and figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. There were too many memories of Dec in New Orleans, and she wanted to make a fresh start somewhere else. She had no doubts where she wanted to go or needed to be. She wanted to go back to her family home. She missed Bon Temps, Jason and her friends. She had kept in touch with Sam, who had been taking care of her home for her and called him and told him she was coming home.

Amelia was sad to see her friend go back to Bon Temps but she also understood why Sookie needed to go. Before Sookie left, she met with Amelia and surprised her with the deed to the shopping strip where Amelia and Octavia's store was located. Amelia was floored and very grateful to her friend. Sookie closed up both the house in New Orleans and the Gulf house, and named a new VP of operations at Pelican publishing to replace herself. She was now the President of the company, though she had decided to remain a silent owner for now. She didn't know how long she would need to recover, but she had already made sure she had qualified people who would be running it in her absence.

She settled into her Gran's house and immediately started to make some major renovations to her family farm house. There were so many things that needed replacing and upgrading and she was excited she could finally do it all. She wanted to make sure no alterations were done to the original structure, because she wanted to keep it looking the same as it had while her Gran was alive. It was also a little weird for Sookie not having Bill across the cemetery anymore. Bill had written to her after she and Dec got engaged telling her he was happy for her and that he had decided to do some traveling throughout Europe for a while.

Sookie also had plenty of ideas on how she wanted to spend her money helping to improve the quality of living in Bon Temps. She made considerable monetary contributions to the local library stipulating that the funds be used to open a much needed children's library. She gave a donation to the local school district wanting to bring them up to speed with technology and to help promote reading. The Bon Temps Fire and Emergency Medical Response departments also became benefactors of Sookie's generosity and she even donated a sizeable amount to the local Monroe Hospital.

When it came to her brother and her friends she was just as generous. She bought her brother a new truck and gifted him with a sizeable amount of money- with a few restrictions on how much and when he could make withdrawals. He had no problem with that, he knew that it was for his best interest and that they would help keep the gold-diggers away from him. She paid the mortgage off for Tara and JB's home, along with a generous cash gift as well. She was aware of how they were struggling to make their monthly payments since the arrival of their new baby and wanted to help ease their worries. Sookie knew Sam would not accept anything from her, so she made him an offer to invest in his bar by becoming a silent partner. Sam had always wanted to add an outside bar at Merlotte's, and now with Sookie's investment, he could make that dream come true.

Moving back to Bon Temps was just about the most cathartic act of healing she could have made for herself. In giving back to the local community and helping her friends and family, it not only took her mind off of missing Dec, but it made her genuinely happy.

After being back home for a month, Sookie thought long and hard about what she wanted to do with her life now, and she decided that she wanted to open her own business. Bon Temps was in desperate need of a place where kids, especially the teenagers, could go and hang out. It would be a place where they felt safe and that could keep them out of trouble and off the streets. It would be almost like a modern version of the YMCA or the Boys and Girls Club of America. It would house a gym, library, art room, a computer lab, and a restaurant area. She would hire local residents and high school age kids to run it. She was thinking that families could rent out certain rooms for parties, and yearly memberships would be available on a sliding rate scale. One thing for sure, everyone would be able to use it, no matter what their economic background.

There were lots of details to work out, but she already knew that the library section would be her favorite part to set up. She envisioned comfy couches all around beautiful dark wood book cases. She wanted the restaurant area to be set up almost like an old style soda shop. The gymnasium could be used for basketball, volleyball and dance classes. The art room would be fully equipped with all kinds of supplies and would even have the ability for the members to do pottery. A lot of kids in Bon Temps could not afford their own computers and having them available would be also helpful, of course they would be fully monitored and have parental restrictions placed on them. It would be like all of the fun parts about school without worrying about being graded.

She had a lot more ideas related to her new venture, but she wanted to start with the basics. Her first step was to find a location. There was a perfect piece of property she thought would be ideal to build on. The location was right outside of town and it was already zoned for commercial building, making it perfect for her vision. Sookie went to the township offices to find out who owned the land; she didn't think it would be a problem to convince the owner to sell it to her. She knew she could make them an offer that they would not refuse. Unfortunately, when the woman in the county clerk's office gave her the name of the owner, she instantly realized she had a major problem.

It was owned by Northman Enterprises, Inc.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ms. Harris owns them and I'm just playing with them.**

**Thanks again for all your great reviews and alerts. It means so much to me to get your feedback.**

**Sassyvampmaman, thanks for being a wonderful friend and a great beta. You're the Best!**

**Chapter 10**

Sookie thought, _is this karma or what?_

It was just her damn luck that she would have to get in touch with Eric about buying this particular piece of land. She briefly considered simply forgetting about it and looking at other properties around town, but this piece of property was just too perfect for her needs for her to consider it for too long. She couldn't imagine why Eric would even own property in Bon Temps, but no matter what, she would have to talk to him sooner or later.

The thought of calling him scared her; she hadn't spoken to him in almost three years. He had never tried to contact her since the night at Amelia's when she told him she never wanted to speak to him again. She was so hurt that night, but she never dreamt that he wouldn't try to see her or at least to try speaking to her one more time. She wasn't sure how she felt about him never contacting her; even though he was following her last command to him, it just wasn't like Eric to give up so easily. She had forgiven his betrayal, but she hadn't forgotten what he had done to her. She didn't think she would ever be able to remove the image of Eric in the arms of his pet from her head. The only choice she had been able to see after that night was to move on with her life, without Eric.

She felt like she had grown up and moved on over the past three years. Since he had never contacted her, she had assumed he had moved on as well. For all she knew, he probably had a new pet living with him, and had forgotten all about her. She hadn't felt the bond since that night at Fangtasia, and she had certainly been keeping it closed off from her end. She knew that time and distance helped to lessen the strength of a bond, but she wasn't willing to check out the validity of her theory just yet by opening her end only to have him think that all was forgiven.

She decided she would call Eric. She was an adult who wanted to do business with him, nothing more. Him being the ultimate business man, he would certainly hear her offer to purchase his property. Now she just had to muster up the courage to call him.

Sitting on her living room couch, a half empty glass of Tanqueray and Tonic in front of her, and her blackberry in her hand, she began to dial Fangtasia's phone number. She wasn't sure if Eric would be at the bar, but she figured that would be the best place to try to reach him. It was around 10 pm, a time she knew that he would be there if he was working.

"You've reached Fangtasia, the bar with bite, how may I serve you?" Sookie didn't recognize the voice that answered and assumed it was one of the waitresses.

"Yes, may I please speak to Eric Northman?" Sookie said in her professional voice.

"I'm sorry, but the Master is very busy and is not to be disturbed." Sookie could only imagine what was keeping Eric busy, but decided she would be polite and leave a message.

"My name is Sookie Stackhouse and I…" she started to say before the girl immediately cut her off.

"Did you say Sookie Stackhouse?" the waitress waited for conformation.

"Yes, my name is..."

"Hold on one moment, please..." and Sookie heard the girl put her on hold. Less than thirty 30 seconds Sookie herd _his _voice for the first time in almost three years.

"Good evening Sookie, this is quite an unexpected surprise. To what do I owe this call?" Eric's voice sounded completely neutral and it took Sookie back. She didn't know what she expected, but she hadn't honestly expected to hear Eric's 'business' voice.

"Hello Eric, yes, um, the reason I'm calling is that I'm interested in purchasing the Hawkins Road parcel of land in Bon Temps, and found out at the county clerk's office this afternoon that you happen to be the owner of that property. I was hoping we could discuss this. I can assure you my offer would be very acceptable to you." Sookie thought, _see, I can put on my business voice too_. "Once we can agree on a price, I can have my attorney draw up a formal offer. I wanted to speak to you first though and see if you would even be willing to sell it to me."

There was silence on the phone and Sookie thought for a second that Eric might have hung up. She certainly didn't hear him breathing, not that she would though, since Eric didn't need to breathe.

"Sookie, I am sure we can come to some kind of an arrangement. I have a real estate attorney who handles all my properties. I would be willing to meet you at my attorney's office at 8:00 pm this Thursday evening to discuss this. The office is in down town Shreveport, is that acceptable to you?"

"That would be fine, Eric, thank you." Sookie sounded somewhat relieved, even to her own ears.

"If you will give me your email address, I will send over my attorney's name and address."

Sookie gave Eric her email address and Eric wasted no time getting off the phone with her. He told to have a good evening and that he would see her Thursday evening before the line went dead.

Sookie just looked at her phone when Eric hung up. Her mouth wide open, completely baffled at how Eric had acted towards her over the phone. He certainly wasn't rude, but he was not at all engaging like the old Eric always had been. She wasn't sure what to make of his behavior; it had only made her more nervous about meeting with him. She had already done some research and she had found out just what Eric had originally paid for the property. She decided to offer him 50% more than what he had paid, knowing that it was more than generous and she had felt confident that he would take her deal.

Pam had been standing in Eric's doorway the entire time he was on the phone with Sookie. She had heard one of the waitresses tell Eric that Sookie was on the phone and immediately made her way to his office. Eric had made sure that every person that worked in his bar knew Sookie's name and also knew that they were to notify him immediately should she ever call. This was the number one rule in Fangtasia since their split, and he would literally make sure that Pam would go over these instructions every week at the employee meetings. Just two weeks ago, Pam had had to fire a new waitress (who was a tasty little morsel, if she did say so herself) just because she couldn't remember Sookie's name after working there for only two nights.

Pam listened to Eric's phone conversation with Sookie and briefly wondering what he was up to now. "Master, I am going to assume that you know what you are doing. You didn't seem even a little bit surprised to hear from Sookie tonight, did you know she was going to call you? And what piece of land was she talking about?" Pam was hoping Eric had a plan because she was a bit confused.

"Pamela, my child, have you no faith in me?" Eric asked her with a grin on his lips and a glint in his eyes that she hadn't seen since before Sookie had left. She actually felt some excitement and happiness radiating from Eric for the first time in years, and she could not help but to smile back at him.

"Oh please, do tell…" Eric's mood had become infectious, and she couldn't help but to be hopeful for him. After he had learned about Sookie's impending marriage to the human, she hadn't known if she could stay with Eric for very much longer. His moods swings had been getting to be too much for her to take. She felt everything he was feeling through their own bond, and she too was getting desperate, but that all changed when Eric learned of the death of Sookie's fiancé. He had told Pam that he believed then more than ever, that he and Sookie were fated to be together and even felt like maybe Sookie's God was dictating it.

"As you know, I have been monitoring Sookie's daily activities and was told by my investigator that she was looking at property that I owned in Bon Temps yesterday. He told me she had spoken to the county clerk's office inquiring about that piece of land this very afternoon. I have known that she has been back in Bon Temps for the past three months, and I sometimes open the bond at night just to feel her. I have been biding my time, waiting for the right moment to make my move. I debated how and when, but this land deal fell into my lap. I could not have orchestrated it any better had I tried. Instead of me finding a way to 'accidentally run into her', she was forced to call me for something she wants that I currently own."

"Alright, I get it Eric, but why did you even own any land in that God forsaken back ass town? _That's_ what I don't get?" Pam's face took on a look of confusion.

"I bought every available piece of real estate in that town after Sookie's torture. I knew she would never want to live anywhere else but Bon Temps and I wanted us to build a new home together. I thought she would have too many bad memories in her family home after the fairies had taken her from there. I wanted us to make a new start, together. I wanted her to have her choice where we would build our home. I never once thought that one of those pieces of land would be the catalyst for us to be together again, or at least I hope it will be." he answered her candidly.

Pam was digesting all this information. She knew Eric loved Sookie, but had never fully realized just how much he loved her before he fucked everything up with the whole Camille thing. She thought it was losing Sookie that finally caused his head to acknowledge what his heart was feeling. If only Eric had been open and honest to Sookie before hand and had told her of his plans, desires, wants and feelings. She hoped that he would handle her differently from now on. He certainly wasn't the same vampire he was three years ago.

"Sookie called because of business reasons, not personal, and that is how I have to approach her. I treated her like I would any other business associate and I got her to agree to meet me at Chris's office. If I came on too strong or suggestive she would have retreated. I have her interested, and probably wondering what the heck just happened on the phone. I need to find out if she still has any kind of feelings for me. I will take her anger over indifference any day. There is a thin line between love and hate, and I need to see if she still feels anything for me, even hatred. Then I need to get her to trust me again, and to get her to feel comfortable enough around me to where she would be willing to hear me out. I have waited three years for her Pam, and I am willing to do anything to make her mine again." Pam told Eric that she would do whatever she could in order to help him gain back Sookie's trust, and eventually her love.

"Master, do you really think it's wise to have Sookie meet you at your lawyer's office for the first time?

"Absolutely," replied Eric and with that Pam left his office.

Sookie tried to keep herself busy so as to not to think of her upcoming meeting with Eric. She worked hard on her business plan so that Eric would know that he was no longer dealing with the silly little girl she was three years ago. She wasn't sure what she should wear to the meeting. If she were being honest with herself, she would say that she wanted to look good for Eric. She hadn't seen him in three years. She thought about how different she was emotionally and mentally from the girl that Eric had known three years ago, and she wasn't sure if that would show on the outside. She was much more confident and certainly could keep up with the best of them when it came to business deals. Dec taught her well in the art of the deal and for that she would be forever grateful to him. He hid nothing from her in his business dealings, and made her a part of his life entirely. She was his partner in every sense of the word, unlike Eric. That was one issue that Sookie always had with Eric; he had kept her in the dark in so many ways and did not share his world with her, even when it involved her.

Thursday rolled around fast and Sookie knew she had to start getting ready when her Grandfather clock began to chime six times. She went into her room and opened her closet. She had built up quite a working wardrobe over the years and she knew she would be able to find just the right outfit. She chose a classic look. She wanted something sexy, but that also said, "Don't think I'm nothing more than just some pretty face, or you'll regret it."

She wore an a-line black pencil skirt that came to her knees with a fitted white dress shirt, the top three buttons open. Both the skirt and the shirt hugged her frame beautifully. She added a thick black leather belt that showed off her still small waste and made her chest look even more ample. She paired her outfit off with a pair of black 3 inch stilettos with a peek-a-boo toe. As always she sported her standard French manicure and pedicure. She decided to leave her hair down, curling it in large ringlets that cascaded down her back. She thought it softened her look and made her appear a little younger. She was turning 30 in another month and was well aware how fast time was flying. She added a pair of diamond solitaire studs that Dec had given her for her 28 birthday and picked up her bottle of Obsession perfume off her vanity and sprayed. Consciously or not, she knew she chose that perfume because Eric liked it.

She gazed at herself in her full length mirror one last time before she went and grabbed her car keys off the hall table. She then hopped into her car and drove to Eric's lawyer, Chris Cavanaugh's, office. She hoped he wasn't one of those annoyingly pushy lawyers that she was constantly dealing with after the death of Dec.

She had an hour long drive which gave her lots of time to think. She wondered what Eric had been up to these past few years. She had never asked anyone from Bon Temps about him, but she had a feeling Amelia knew and had kept in touch with Pam. She didn't know if Eric knew anything about her life over these past years. She was sure he must have known about Dec. After the plane crash, Sookie Stackhouse had become a household name, at least in the state of Louisiana. She was now one of the wealthiest women in the state, if not in the U.S., and her leaving New Orleans gave her the anonymity that she craved for after Dec's plane crash.

She was a few miles from Eric's lawyer's office and thought how much faster the ride seemed driving in her Lexus crossover compared to the last time she traveled on this road in her little yellow Datson. She had definitely learned to appreciate a luxury car. She liked how it let her sit up high and she loved the fact it had a navigation system. She laughed when she thought of the time she and Eric were in the car driving to Pam's house to fight the witches and she had to stop and pull over to read a map. Eric had had no clue how to read one and she had wondered then if that had because of the amnesia or he just never learned. My, how life had changed since then.

Just thinking about seeing Eric again made her extremely anxious, and she decided to play her iPod to take her mind off of things. She scrolled through her play list and picked a song that would certainly put her in the right frame of mind for this meeting. As soon as she hit the play bar she was belting out the words to the song by the one and only Chaka Khan,'_ I'm every women.'_

_I'm every women, it's all in me_

_Anything you want done baby, I'll do it naturally_

Sookie was bobbing her head up and down and taping her fingers on the steering wheel in time with the beat of the song.

_I'm every women, it's all in me_

_I can read your thought right now_

_Everyone from A to Z_

Sookie was thinking this song was written just for her. It was her new theme song.

_Wow, Wow, Wow_

_Wow, Wow, Wow_

_I can cast a spell with secrets you can tell_

_Mix a special brew_

_Put a fire inside of you_

She wondered if Eric would be at all happy to see her. She also wondered if she would still be able to feel that spark deep inside herself when she looked at him.

_But anytime you feel danger or fear_

_Instantly, I will open, cause_

_I'm every women, it's all in me_

Thanks to Chaka Khan, Sookie was feeling like she could take on the world, or at least Eric Northman. She had pulled into the parking lot and turned off her car. It was now or never. She reached over and grabbed her purse and had tucked her business plan inside it, just in case it was needed.

Chris Cavanaugh's office was on the sixth floor and when Sookie entered the waiting room there was an older woman sitting at the reception desk. Sookie gave her name and the woman immediately got up and told her she would let Chris know she had arrived. Sookie wasn't sure if Eric was already inside or not. She didn't see a corvette in the parking lot, but then again she wasn't sure what Eric was driving these days.

The older women quickly came back through the double doors behind her desk and told Sookie to please go right in. Sookie walked through the doors and sitting in the desk in front of the far windows was one of the most attractive women Sookie had ever seen. The woman got up and walked around the desk to introduce herself as Chris Cavanaugh. She reached out to shake Sookie's hand and when she did Sookie immediately got an image of Eric without a shirt on. Sookie was stunned. She hadn't realized that she had let her shields down. The shock of seeing this woman must have been caused her to let her guard down. She had been so good with keeping her shields up with humans, so why did she just read this woman? Did she want to know if this woman was romantically linked to Eric? She had no right to be upset. She had not seen Eric in three years, for Christ sakes, she had even been engaged to another man, so why was she getting upset? She knew she had to pull herself together. She started chanting her new mantra, 'I'm every woman,' when she heard Ms. Cavanaugh offer her a seat and a beverage. Sookie politely declined the drink and gave her one of her signature Sookie smiles as she sat down.

"I have to say Ms. Stackhouse I was quite surprised when Eric called me and told me about this meeting he arranged. Eric has been offered a number of deals to sell that property and has always declined. I'm wondering why he now chose to entertain a bid from you. What makes you so special?"

Sookie didn't like this woman at all; this woman seemed to be threatened by her for some reason. She didn't have to read her mind to pick up on that. Oh, how she wanted to read her mind, but she wouldn't allow herself to go there. She had no business prying into this woman's head and she certainly didn't want to see anymore images of Eric with yet another woman. She'd been there, done that and she wouldn't put herself through that again. Though the feelings that this woman had for Eric were troubling to Sookie; she had thought that she was completely over Eric, and that she moved on. But thinking about him with someone else, especially this woman, caused her to feel jealous.

"Ms. Cavanaugh, if Eric felt the need to share with you his reasons for entertaining my offer, than I imagine he would have told you already. The fact that he hasn't told you lets me know he didn't feel he owed you any explanation beyond that your services were needed this evening." Sookie was pissed and she made sure she let this woman know she didn't like her questions. Who did she think she was and where the hell was Eric anyways?

"I suppose Eric is just curious to meet the woman who managed to become one of the wealthiest women in the state of Louisiana simply by being with the right man at the right time. Was Declan Channing not enough for you; are you here to put your claws into Eric now too? I can tell you right now that chances are Eric will turn you down flat. He certainly doesn't need the money, and I'm sure it's nothing but pure curiosity that had him set this meeting up."

Eric's lawyer was astonished every time Eric refused to sell any of his property in Bon Temps and she had advised him against his rejections each and every time. When he called to tell her about Sookie Stackhouse and their scheduled meeting, Chris was too curious at this news and made sure she did some research on her. She had heard about Sookie in the news, but she also found out that had Sookie grew up in Bon Temps, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was the reason Eric had her handle all of his purchases in that town. She had been trying for years to get Eric to notice her. She certainly made enough innuendos and suggestions to him, but he never once took her up on any of them. Then two days ago, seemingly out of the blue, he sets a meeting up with Sookie, and was actually planning on coming to it. She knew there was more to it than a simple real estate deal, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Ms. Cavanaugh, let me just say…" it was then that the door opened and Eric walked in.


	11. Chapter 11

**Charlaine Harris owns them all.**

**Thanks everyone for continuing to read and leave me such great reviews. I do want everyone to know Eric had absolutely nothing to do with Declan's death. Also, I think you will see Eric is not manipulating Sookie either. She came to him all on her own. Hope this chapter clears that up. Thanks again and hope you continue to leave me your feedback. It really means a lot to me.**

**Sassyvampmama, thanks for being my sounding board, my beta, my friend, and the Best!**

**Chapter 11**

Eric had heard the entire conversation between Sookie and his lawyer. He had been talking with the receptionist and could not help but overhear the exchange. He decided he needed to go in before things got out of hand between the two women. He could have simply let Sookie go at it with Ms. Cavanaugh but he had already heard enough from listening to their conversation. It was at the moment Sookie was about to give Ms. Cavanaugh a piece of her mind when Eric entered the office.

"Good evening ladies, I apologize for being late." Eric's eyes immediately went to Sookie, who stood up to face him. Eric was momentarily captivated by Sookie. Seeing pictures of her over the years, and replaying the memories he had etched in his mind of her, paled in comparison to the real beauty standing before him. Having her body so close to him, smelling her intoxicating scent, and hearing her voice had Eric's beast roaring inside. It took all of his will power not to grab her right here, claim her and never let her go. He knew he could not do that and had to stick to his plan. "Sookie, it is a pleasure to see you again. However, as happy as I am to see you, and as intrigued as I am in discussing your interests in purchasing my property, I could not help but over hear the conversation between the two of you."

He turned to look at Ms. Cavanaugh and his demeanor completely changed, Eric practically roared with anger to her. "How dare you speak to Ms. Stackhouse in such a derogatory way and accuse her of such heinous acts. I pay you good money to represent me in a professional manner, and _this_ is how you treat a business associate of mine. I should drain you right now for the things you said to Ms. Stackhouse, but I wouldn't even want the taste of your blood on my lips. Consider yourself fired. Oh, and if I were you, I would leave town before something terrible could happen to you. You never know when tragedy can strike."

Eric then turned to Sookie, "Isn't that right, Ms. Stackhouse?" he asked, knowing full well that Sookie has had plenty of tragedy touch her life.

If Sookie had just seen Rhett Butler himself stroll into the office to defend her honor, she would not have been as shocked as she was to hear Eric put that bitch in her place. She was speechless and just nodded her yes to Eric's question. She could not take her eyes off him. She was looking at this man, this vampire, and thinking how absolutely beautiful he truly was. How could she have forgotten that? He was wearing a gray suit with a black dress shirt and his hair was tied back at the nape of his neck. He looked like he could have walked off the cover of a GQ magazine. Caught up in her haze of thoughts, it was a moment before Sookie registered Eric's voice speaking to her again.

"I am sorry that you were treated so terribly. I apologize for Ms. Cavanaugh's atrocious behavior. Would you please allow me to escort you to your car?"

"Of course Eric, thank you." Sookie was anxious to leave.

"Eric, please let me explain, I…" Ms. Cavanaugh was practically pleading to Eric when he turned to her, and his fangs dropped down in his aggression, "First off, I have never allowed you to address me in such an informal way. It's Mr. Northman, not Eric, to you. Secondly you are never to speak to me again and you will never try contact me. If you so much as speak my name or use me as a reference, you will never work a day in your life again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," was all that she could squeak out; her eyes wide and her heart racing in fear.

Sookie grabbed her purse and quickly exited the office and Eric followed behind her. He wasn't sure how things were going to play out this evening, but felt he definitely took the situation with his lawyer as an opportunity to gain some favor with Sookie and could only pray that it had worked.

Sookie and Eric walked to the elevator and Sookie impatiently pressed the down button. Neither saying a word to each other, they waited for the elevator doors to open and stepped in. They were the only two in the elevator and when the doors shut Eric turned towards Sookie.

"I am truly sorry for what just happened. I have had Ms. Cavanaugh on retainer now for almost four years and never have I had any problems with her. I don't know why she was so hostile to you, but believe me she will regret her actions." Eric said with complete sincerity and Sookie could see it in his eyes, but curiosity got the better of her and she had to ask.

"Eric this is none of my business and you certainly don't have to say anything to me, but it has been my experience she felt threatened by me. A woman only behaves that way if she thinks someone is trying to lay claim on what she perceives as being her property." Sookie didn't come right out and accuse Eric of fucking his attorney, but chose her words as to imply that maybe there was something more to his relationship with her than just a professional one.

"Sookie, Ms. Cavanaugh has no claim on me, nor has she ever had one, sexually or otherwise. My only relationship with her has been a purely business one. There is only one person who I would ever allow to lay claim to me." Eric looked directly at Sookie waiting for her to react to his words. Luckily for Sookie, it was at that moment that the elevator stopped and the doors opened. They both entered, the elevator doors sliding shut and encasing them in a cube of silence that lasted the entire ride. When it came to a stop at the ground floor, Sookie exited the elevator and walked to the front doors of the building. Eric came up behind her and opened the door for her as the proceeded out of the building towards the parking lot.

"Sookie, I am sure you are in no mood to discuss anything right now, however, I would still like to hear your proposal. If you are willing to reschedule, I certainly would be more than happy to meet with you wherever you wanted to. Just name the place and time and I will be there. I am certain we can come to some kind of an agreement." Eric and Sookie kept walking until Sookie got to her car and stopped to get her keys out of her purse. Eric had purposely left the statement open-ended. He knew what kind of agreement he wanted to reach with her, and it didn't have anything to do with a piece of property.

She pulled her keys out of her purse, wondering what the hell just happened in that office and replied, "You're right I'm not in mood to discuss anything right now. However, I still want that property so I'd definitely like to meet with you. Why don't you come by my place Monday night around 8:00 so we can talk?" Sookie wasn't sure why she just blurted that suggestion out, but the words were already out of her mouth, hanging out in the air and waiting for a response. She was almost embarrassed that she had suggested they meet at her house. She opened her car door and climbed in, then shut it and rolled down her window. She looked at Eric who was standing there, and just as she was about to suggest meeting somewhere else Eric spoke first.

"That would be fine. I will look forward to seeing you then." Eric smiled briefly and then he shot up into the air.

Sookie sat in her car for a moment before putting it into drive, trying to figure out what the hell happened tonight and how the hell did she end up inviting Eric to her home. This was not what she was expecting. She assumed she would have made him an offer on the property, maybe have to explain her business plan a little, and then possibly have to negotiate a final sales price. Jesus, she didn't even get to discuss the one thing that she had come for tonight. Damn, did Eric look good, and to top it all off, when he was standing next to her in the elevator all she could think of was how wonderful he had smelled.

Ok, she had to stop this train thought. She hadn't seen him for three years, the last time she had seen him, he had completely broken her heart, and she was more than certain that he had moved on with his life, just as she had. He had never once tried to contact her, so obviously he must have found others to take care of his needs, both physical and dietary. Just that thought alone made her sick to her stomach. This was so not good, she had no right feeling any of these things. She told him not to ever contact her, and she had moved on. For Christ sakes, she was about to marry Dec, and would have if he hadn't been killed. Just thinking about that tugged at her heart. Before Sookie knew it, she was pulling onto Hummingbird Lane without remembering any of her drive home.

Sookie was delighted at the transformation that had taken place within her home over the past three months. Every time she opened her front door she couldn't get over the fact that this was the same house she had left three years ago. She'd had her kitchen completely remodeled, installing all new cabinets, appliances and granite counter tops. She loved cooking on her new Viking stovetop and her Sub Zero refrigerator was a far cry from the former Sears model that dated back to the early days of Grans marriage. She had picked out an old fashioned country sink and felt like she kept the look of an old farm house kitchen intact, even with the added modern conveniences. She'd had all her hardwood floors restored, and all the bathrooms were done over as well. Her master bathroom now housed an old fashion club footed bathtub, with Jacuzzi jets and her walk-in shower could fit at least five people with three separate shower heads and a comfortable bench seat.

The entire interior and exterior of her home had been repainted also. All her windows and doors were replaced and she'd had to have a security system put in. She kept some of her Gran's furniture and had carefully mixed it with some new pieces. She had a 60" plasma screen TV installed, complete with a state of the art surround sound system in her family room. Her next project was going to be to tear down the back porch and replace it with a much larger one, with a separate room for her washer and dryer, and she was going to have the front porch floor boards replaced at the same time. She had also contacted an architectural landscaper and planned on having all her property re-landscaped. She knew how fortunate she was to be in a position to not only be able to afford such an extensive re-model, but to afford having it completed in such a short period of time.

That night, exhausted from the events that had played out earlier, Sookie went straight to bed after arriving home. She felt that she just needed to forget all that happened and how she was feeling on seeing Eric again. She climbed into her bed, pulled the comforter up around her chest, and settled into her pillow. Her last thoughts were of Eric's words saying that there was only one woman able to claim him.

A short while later Sookie heard noise outside her window, she ignored at first but the sound was getting louder and louder, and it eventually it woke her. She had a very strong feeling she knew what that noise was, and she figured that she was right because it quickly turned into a tapping sound at her bedroom window. Getting out of her bed, she walked over to her window, and there on the other side of the glass was Eric. He was hovering outside, wearing the grey dress pants and black dress shirt he'd had on earlier that evening. His hair was laying loose around his face, and with the moon light outside casting down on him, he appeared to look almost angelic.

Sookie opened the window, "What are you doing here Eric? You weren't supposed to come here until Monday night. What do you want? It's the middle of the night." She appeared to be annoyed, but inside she couldn't stop thinking about just how beautiful he was.

"Sookie please let me in. We need to talk and it cannot wait until Monday night. Please, there are things I need to say to you, just let me in." Eric stared hard at her, begging her with his eyes to let him in.

"I'm not sure if that is a good idea, Eric. Can't this wait until Monday?"

"No Sookie, please, I have already waited three years and I cannot go another night. Seeing you this evening, after all this time, made me realize I cannot wait. There are things that I need to say to you. Please just let me say them and I promise I will leave. You have my word."

Sookie debated back in forth in her mind, not sure if she could trust Eric to be alone with her, let alone trusting herself with him. No matter what had happened in their past, there was no denying how attracted and drawn she was to him right this minute. However, she decided that she was the new Sookie, someone who was not going to run away from an adult conversation. Maybe hearing him out would put complete closure to their relationship and then she could be free of the old feelings that were slowly creeping back into her mind and her heart for Eric.

"Fine Eric, but after you say whatever it is you came to say, you have to leave.'' Sookie opened up her bedroom window and Eric floated in and stood before her. Sookie then realized she had been standing there in a pink silk nightgown that had her breasts practically spilling out of the top of it. She immediately grabbed her robe, threw it on and tied the sash.

"We are not having this conversation in my bedroom; let's go out to the family room." She turned and walked out of her room with Eric following behind her. When they reached the family room Sookie gestured to her couch and told him to take a seat.

"I would offer you a True Blood, but I don't have any in the house." Sookie said, never forgetting her Gran induced good Southern manners. Eric said that he was fine, and he even commented on how great the house looked. Ignoring his comments, Sookie waited for Eric to continue.

"Sookie, there are so many things I need to say, but first I want to tell you how sorry I am for all the pain I put you through. I never meant to hurt you and you are the only one who means anything to me, or who ever has. I know that I was wrong for keeping my past relationship a secret, but she honestly did not mean anything to me. I know you might not believe that, but I am telling you the truth. You know I can not lie to you, you would feel it."

Sookie looked at Eric, trying to test the bond that had been closed for so long. She needed to know the truth, and so she let her side of the bond open up as well. He was not lying. She was silent but her eyes told him to continue.

"I did not, and would not, have anything to do with her once my memories returned of our time together. I certainly never betrayed our pledging and still have not. You are my wife Sookie, and even if you do not recognize our marriage, I do." Eric's voice began to take a quivering tone and his eyes began to pool with his unshed bloody tears. "More importantly than being my wife, you are the only women that I will ever love. I am sorry that I never told you my feelings before now. I was confused and honestly scared that you would not return these same emotions. I will not go another day without you knowing how I feel, and if you can never love me, I beg for you to forgive me. I love you Sookie, and it is my wish to never spend another day apart from you." Tears began to fall down Eric's face as he pleaded for her forgiveness and told her of his wishes.

Sookie felt everything; the bond between them was still there and was surprisingly just as strong as ever, and Eric held nothing back from her this time. She was finally convinced of Eric's remorse and of his love for her. She knew she had forgiven him years ago, but could she forget? Could she be with Eric and trust him again? She was not sure. She certainly was not going to repeat her previous mistakes with Eric; that was one thing she _was_ sure of.

His feelings flowing freely through the bond were beginning to overwhelm her. She had never felt such strong emotions coming from Eric, and she too, began to talk.


	12. Chapter 12

**Charlaine Harris owns them all**

**Thanks guys for continuing to stick with me and leave me such wonderful reviews and alerts. I can't thank you enough. It really helps getting feedback, especially this being my first story ever! Can't wait to read more of your thoughts and hope you like where I am going to take these two.**

**Sassyvampmama, thanks for everything. Could not and would not have done this story without you. Thanks, you're the Best!**

**Chapter 12**

"Eric, I have forgiven you. I'll admit I was devastated at finding you with your pet, but I think I was far more upset at the fact you had hidden her from me than I was about finding you kissing her. Believe me the kiss hurt, but not like finding out you had been living with her all those years."

Eric immediately interrupted Sookie, "I did not _'live with her'_ in the sense that you obviously think I did. It was not like that, and I honestly never spent my rest with her. I was not faithful to her. I have only ever been faithful to one woman, and that woman is you Sookie."

"Eric, I know I have no right to take issue with you being with others before we even met, or even when I was with Bill and Quinn. However, what I find most hurtful is that you still had her in some form or fashion after the takeover, and you never said a word to me about her. That I spent all that time wondering why you never came back to have that talk with me that you promised, and then finding out it was because you were with her." Sookie started to cry. It was all coming back to her, the feelings of betrayal and hurt she thought she was over, must not be. She had hidden those feelings deep inside of her and now they were all coming out.

Eric's heart was breaking, it may not be able to beat, but it was still hurting. It was killing him to see Sookie cry because of him.

"I was not with her like you think I was. After the takeover, things for me and for everyone else I had to protect were precarious. I felt that if Victor or DeCastro knew how much you meant to me, they would use or even worse to hurt you, to try to hurt me. I was being watched like a hawk. I could not allow them to harm you, so I used her as a decoy. I never even touched her and only saw her a few times. It killed me not to come to you, but when Victor made it clear to me that DeCastro wanted to make you his pet, I could not allow that to happen. That is when I had you come to me and offer me the ceremonial pledging knife in front of Victor. I had certainly ended everything with her before we were pledged that night. I thought I had sent her away for good. The night you walked in on me with her, she had shown up unexpectedly and to say that I was unhappy with her would be an understatement. She begged me to let her come back, and I told her no repeatedly. What you saw was when she was kissing me goodbye and trying to get me to change my mind one last time. I should have never of allowed her to kiss me, and I will regret that to the day I meet my true death. I was wrong, Sookie, in how I handled everything and I know that now. I should have been honest with you from the beginning. I should have told you I loved you when I first thought I did. I definitely should have told you when I knew I did. Not to make excuses, but I was angry, confused and jealous at times." Eric felt like he could go on and on for all the mistakes he made along the way of his growing attachment to Sookie.

"Eric, logically, what you are saying makes sense, but emotionally, it still hurts me. I thought I was over it, but I guess I'm not. I want you to know that I know that I also deserve a lot of the blame in how things ended between us. I should have been honest with you too. I was a bitch towards you at times; I shunned you and made it difficult for you to express your feelings for me. I had trust issues then and I still do. However, none of that justified my actions towards you. I came that night to Fangtasia to tell you that I loved you. I had finally gotten up the nerve to say it, and when I walked in your office and saw you with her, well, it devastated me. I will always love you Eric and I know it is not just because of the bond. The bond has been closed off for three years and I still have these feelings for you. I just…"

Eric was amazed that Sookie had just told him that she still loved him. He was so moved that he went to go to her, but she stopped him with a raised hand.

There is more I need to say, "I fell in love with someone in New Orleans. I am sure you heard some things about it and how he was tragically killed. I wanted to get over you Eric. He made me happy and I was a different person with him. What he and I had was not the same thing that you and I had, but it was special and he made me a part of his life. He shared his life with me, and from what I know he never kept things from me. I took me a good year to get over the loss of him. I will never forget him and I will always be grateful for what he did for me and how he helped me change."

Sookie started getting choked up again, thinking of all her losses and she wiped at the tears that were silently falling down her face.

"I have been through so much over these past few years and have become a different person from that girl who walked in on you with your pet, but I have a lot of pain still inside of me. Yes, I can say I have forgiven you, but I have not forgotten the pain. I don't know if I ever can. I do have love for you, but can I ever be in love with you? I'm not sure I can trust you again and I would never be happy in a relationship where secrets are kept from each other and feelings are hidden. What we had is not what I want. I won't deny that I am attracted to you Eric. I think you are the most beautiful man I have ever seen, but there is so much more to a relationship than just physical appearances."

Eric took a step forward towards Sookie. He agreed with everything she was telling him, but he was not going to let her reject him again. He was determined to make Sookie see that they belong together.

"I understand everything you are telling me, but I too have changed during our time apart. I am not the same vampire either. I do not want to go back to the kind of relationship that we had. I promise you that I would never hurt you again. I realized that shielding things from you, no matter what my reasons were for it, was wrong. I want you by my side. I want to love you always and I am willing to do anything to make that happen."

Sookie wasn't blind, she could see the look of longing harbored in his eyes, and though it sent her heart-rate soaring, she couldn't help the niggling sense of dread climbing up her spine. Was he going to try to seduce her tonight? Was that what he had expected when he came to her window?

"Eric, what exactly did you think was going to happen when you came here tonight? I haven't seen or spoken to you in three years. You never tried to see me again after you came to Amelia's, not once. Did you think by telling me all this that I would say, 'OK, let's get back together?'" Sookie was in emotional overload right now and was getting frustrated.

"What I came here tonight for was to explain my side of things. I have waited three years to get my chance to tell you how sorry I was and to tell you that I love you and that I want us to be together. I have not been with anyone else over those three years, nor do I want any other but you Sookie. I know we have a lot to work out, but I want the chance to prove to you that I am indeed worthy of you. I cannot go any longer without you in my life. It has killed me to stay away from you for this long, but I wanted to honor your wishes. I can't stay away any more, especially not now since I know that you still have feelings for me. I really do believe that we belong together, but the question is; will you give me a chance? Will you give us a chance?" Eric looked at Sookie, just as emotionally drained as she looked to be. He was not leaving until Sookie said yes to him.

Sookie could see the determination in his eyes and could feel the truth of his words. She let out a huge breath, feeling like she had gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson.

"Eric I can't promise you anything more right now than friendship. We need to get to know each other all over, we are both different people now, and there are still trust issues between us. I…"

Eric took two strides over to Sookie closing the gap between them. He leaned down over her reaching out with his hands to take hold of both sides of her face. He moved in closer to her and parted his lips. Sookie automatically tilted her head up and closed the space between them. Eric placed his lips against Sookie's lips and kissed her. Their kisses started off hesitant at first, but both were feeling so much, it grew stronger and their lips seemed to have a mind of their own. Eric's tongue ran across Sookie's lower lip seeking entrance into her mouth. She parted her lips and Eric swiped his tongue inside, invading her mouth.

Their arms and hands began to follow suit with their mouths, seeking out each other's bodies. Sookie wrapped her arm up over Eric's shoulder while Eric moved his hands her around her back and drew her in closer to him. Their bodies molded to each other as their mouths were moving in a familiar rhythm that had both of their minds spinning. Eric moved his lips from hers and started to place kisses along Sookie's neck and up behind her ear. His hands moving lower on her back and onto her ass. He pushed her into him, wanting her to feel how much he wanted her. Sookie practically groaned out, her senses overwhelmed, her need for him rising up. She felt Eric, hard against her and the feel of his length brought her to her senses. She could not do this. She was not going to have sex with him. She pulled away from Eric's embrace, and looked into his lust filled gaze.

"Eric, this is not going to happen. We aren't going to have sex tonight. It's obvious we are physically attracted to each other, but this isn't the way for us to start over." As much as Sookie wanted Eric, she didn't want to have any regrets about any reunion they might have.

Eric's cold body felt like it was on fire. All he wanted to do was consume Sookie, but the sound of her voice and lack of her heat against him sobered him up quickly. He started to register what she was saying and knew he had to regain control of himself.

"Sookie, I agree with you, but I will not lie to you. I want you, all of you, and will wait for as long as I have to in order to have you. I will prove to you that I can be what you want."

"Thank you Eric." She was kind of surprised at how agreeable he was being, but she was also relieved that he did not push the subject.

"I will leave you tonight, but be prepared to have your heart, mind and body won over by me. You will be mine, just as I am yours." With that, Eric turned around and left her house.

Eric flew back to Fangtasia, and when he entered through the employee side door, he called to Pam to join him in his office. He was more than pleased at how tonight's events had turned out. As a matter of fact, he was actually shocked that they had gone better than even he had ever expected. He had not lost hope over these years away from Sookie, but it was getting more difficult by the day to be without her. His body longed for her. His blood called for her. His mind needed her. He was delighted that Sookie still loved him, but saddened that she did not trust him. That would all change and now he was going to ask his child to help him win Sookie back. He should have listed to Pam years ago, and he would not be making the same mistakes again this time.

"Master, may I have someone bring you a True Blood?" Pam had felt Eric's happiness and determination when he had arrived and she wanted to know how his evening went with Sookie.

"Yes, that would be fine." Pam called to one of the waitresses and a True Blood brought in to Eric.

"How did things go with Sookie this evening?" she asked him, already sensing that his answer would be a positive one.

Eric smiled like the Cheshire Cat, "Better than I could have imagined, but I am a long way away from winning Sookie back and that is where you come in." Eric relaxed back into his chair, placed both his legs on top of the desk one leg crossed over the other at the ankles.

"What is it that you need me to do to help you win Sookie's affections once again?" Pam raised her eye brows at Eric and shot him a questioning look.

"I will admit that you know humans better than I do, and you seem to know how my bonded thinks and what she likes. You are more familiar with how human women think and what they look for in men. I have never dated anyone, and it would seem that is exactly the way I am going to have to gain Sookie's trust and affection. I must court her, get to know her better and of course have her fall in love with me all over again." Pam smiled at Eric and was actually excited at the thought of helping Eric date Sookie. She had witnessed so many humans in their dating rituals and had read enough Dear Abby articles to feel she could be considered an expert in the dating field. She even had gone on some human dates a few times and felt quite familiar with the female human mind (she had after all, been with enough women herself to make her an expert in that field as well).

"Master I would be delighted to help you with this task, but I first need to know what I am working with. How did things go with Sookie tonight? I need to understand what happened tonight and how she feels about you.'

Eric, with one of the first genuine smiles she had seen on his face in years, agreed and told her all that transpired during the night. He told her of the confrontation at the lawyer's office and about going to her house. He told her that they had made plans to discuss the purchase of the property for this upcoming Monday night. Pam listened and she began to feel very hopeful that Sookie would become Eric's mate once more. She had honestly thought that Sookie was gone for good when they had heard of her engagement. Now she felt that he had a good chance to get his bonded back. She just had to help Eric learn how to date, and really get to know Sookie again and she prayed the falling in love part would follow. She and Eric talked out some ideas, dismissed a few, and then they finally came up with 'Operation Woo Sookie'.


	13. Chapter 13

**Charlaine Harris owns them all**

**Thanks again for your great reviews and alerts. Now just so you know, Sookie has to take care of some business before pleasure time can happen. Thanks and hope you continue to stick with it.**

**Sassyvampmama, as always, thanks for being such a great friend and beta. You are the Best!**

**Chapter 13**

Sookie was too tired to even contemplate all that happened between her and Eric this evening. She dragged herself to bed, snuggled herself under her covers and went right to sleep. She slept half the day away and didn't wake up until around 2:00 in the afternoon. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept so late, but she must have really needed the rest. The first thing she did was to go into the kitchen and make herself a cup of coffee. She had gotten one of those Keurig coffee makers and loved all the different flavor choices she had and how fast she could get a cup of her favorite vice. Caffeine was her only addiction. After her first cup of coffee, Sookie started to think about the previous night with Eric. She needed to talk to someone about it and she knew just who to call. She reached for her blackberry and hit the number one and held it.

Two rings later and Amelia picked up.

"Hey girl, long time no hear. I have been leaving you messages all week and you have not gotten back to me. What have been up to? Have you been busy saving the entire town of Bon Temps from itself?" Amelia started to laugh; she knew just how generous Sookie had been with her hometown and loved to bust her on it. She never understood how Sookie could be so good to a town whose residents had all made her feel like she was crazy. Some of them had even called her 'Crazy Sookie' to her face.

"Amelia, what can I say, I just like helping people. Besides I couldn't live long enough to spend even half of all that I have." Sookie wanted to shift gears and get to the point of her call. "Look the reason I'm calling is that I saw Eric last night and…"

"What?" Amelia immediately cut her off, "Did you just say you saw Eric last night? Oh my god Sookie, how did that happen? Where were you? What were you doing that you saw him?" Amelia was firing one question quickly after the other.

"You know how I told you about the business I wanted to open in Bon Temps?" Sookie decided that instead of trying to answer the questions one at a time that she would try to explain everything in one story.

"Yeah…"

"Well, turns out the property I want to build it on is owned by none other than one Eric Northman. I had called him up to discuss selling it to me and we met at his lawyer's office and…"

"Sookie, you just picked up the phone and called him? After not speaking to him for three years, and you just said, 'Hey Eric this is Sookie, how's it going, by the way, there is this piece of property you own and I want to buy it, ok?'" Amelia was flabbergasted by what she pictured Sookie doing.

"Well, not exactly like that, but it was similar." Sookie said it in such a matter of fact manner.

"What the hell? What did he say? What happened? Where did you meet? How did he act?" Amelia was like a firing machine gun with all her questions. Sookie remained quiet until Amelia finally ended. She didn't think Amelia took one breath between all those questions.

"Are you done or is there anything else you want to know? I think you forgot to ask what he was wearing." Sookie knew Amelia would be surprised, but not shocked.

"No, I think I'm good for now." Amelia said sarcastically, "So spill it, what happened when you called him?"

Sookie went on and told Amelia all that happened the night before with Eric, answering all Amelia's questions in the process. When she expressed her reservations to Amelia, and all of the doubts that were beginning to kick in, Amelia decided to set her friend straight.

"Sook, I am actually amazed that you listened to him and that the two of you are going to get to know each other again. I never said a word to you when you made it clear you didn't want to talk about him or have anything to do with him three years ago. I understood. However, I never thought you gave him a fair chance to explain. You moved on, grew up and met Dec. You fell in love and were happy, and I was truly happy for you. Then the unthinkable happened and Dec was taken from you. You mourned his loss and I know you will never forget him, but you are still living Sookie, and you should not feel guilty for that. You and Eric never had any kind of closure and I believe it was because you two were never over each other. My God Sook, he told you he loves you and has been faithful to you for three years? That has got to be some kind of vampire record!"

Amelia always kept things real with Sookie and that is one of the reasons why Sookie loved her the most. She wouldn't let Sookie get away with anything when it came to expressing her feelings.

"This is good Sookie, and I think you are being smart to take things slow with Eric this time around. You two have a lot to work out and he needs to earn your trust again. However, you two seem to have already made some changes, and it appears that they are for the better. Just remember the most important thing is to be completely honest with him. Don't hide or hold back what you're feeling. I think I've done enough preaching, now let's change subject and you can tell me more about your business plan." Amelia loved to talk business and was proud that Sookie was taking on this new project.

Sookie went on in detail about what she had been doing to further her plans for her new venture, and by the time they ended their conversation, she felt so much better about everything. She was actually looking forward to seeing Eric on Monday night, even if it was only to discuss business.

The weekend went by fast for Sookie. She spent Saturday evening over at Tara and JB's house, much of it spent playing with the baby, and on Sunday she had Jason over for an early dinner. In between her outings she worked hard on her business plan. She was doing a lot of research on all the different facilities that she wanted to have and was even thinking of adding an indoor pool. Monday night arrived sooner than she was ready for and Sookie was getting more nervous as the clock's hands sluggishly crept towards the Roman numeral eight. She had decided to dress casually; after all it _was_ her house. She threw on a pair of her favorite dark wash Lucky jeans and pulled on a Little Feat concert t-shirt she had gotten when Dec took her to their concert in the city two years ago. (It was one of his favorite bands and Sookie had really enjoyed it too.) She had her hair down and straightened with two clips pulling back on each side of her part. She hated wearing shoes in the house so she went barefoot and just added a small amount of mascara, blush and lip gloss to highlight her features.

Eric had always been punctual, and as Sookie's large grandfather clock chimed its eighth bong, she heard a knock on her outer glass door. Sookie had put in central air conditioning right before she moved back in and she'd also had a beautiful glass and screen door added to the wooden front door. This way she could leave the heavy wooden door open, and not worry about the cool or hot air escaping. It also made the hall entrance much more open, and when she went to answer the door, it also gave Eric a clear view of Sookie approaching.

"Good evening Sookie, you are looking beautiful. I like the way you are wearing your hair." Eric was looking at Sookie very appreciatively as she held the door open for him.

"Hi Eric, please come in." Sookie was appraising Eric just as much as he was her. He had on black stone wash jeans that hung low on his hips with most ornate belt that looked like it had a hammer across the belt buckle and a tight fitting black t-shirt. The kind of t-shirt that was suppose to look casual and but she knew it probably cost over $100 dollars and would feel like cashmere to the touch. One thing was for sure, Sookie knew clothing now, men's wear especially. Living with Dec and shopping for him had given her an education in fashion. Eric had on black boots and his shoulder length hair was hanging down loosely. He looked gorgeous, and when he entered into her hallway, she noticed that he smelled even better. She had to get her mind off of him and concentrate on the reason why he was there; to negotiate a price for the property she wanted to buy from him.

"Why don't you come in and take a seat, Eric." They entered into the room, to right of her hallway where Sookie now had two large brow leather couches angled against each other and a large club footed wooden coffee table that sat in front of the coaches. All her floors were hard wood and the most beautiful Oriental rug sat under the sitting area. Eric sat down on the one sofa and took in his surroundings. Almost everything was different, however he did recognize some familiar pieces of furniture scattered about, not to mention the pictures of Sookie and her family strategically placed around the room. He also could smell the new paint and looked towards the far wall and his eyes automatically went right to the fireplace. He instantly remembered the times he and Sookie had made love in front of that fireplace and he longed to do it again. He hoped it would be sometime soon.

"Can I get you a True Blood?" Sookie offered Eric and he told her yes. She went to the kitchen to get Eric his blood and herself a glass of sweet tea. She brought it back and placed both on coasters. She sat on the other end of the couch that Eric was on and got right to business.

"Eric, I really would like to purchase the Hawkins Road property from you. I know what you paid for it and I am willing to pay you 50% more than that. That property is the perfect location for the business I want to open here in Bon Temps." Sookie looked at Eric trying to gage his reaction to what she offered him. "Would that be an acceptable offer?"

Eric just shook his head no and Sookie was shocked.

"What do you mean 'no', how can you just say no? I made you a more than generous offer. Why would you not sell to me?" Sookie was getting a little bit angry. He had every right to not to sell his land, but to not even be willing to discuss it was simply ridiculous.

"Sookie I am not going to sell that property to you. I would never sell it to you." Eric looked at her like she was crazy

"I can't believe you won't even consider my offer."

Eric could see Sookie was getting angry, and he could feel it too.

"Sookie, I am not going to sell you it because it is already yours."

"What? What are you talking about? That property is not mine, it belongs to Northman Enterprise; i.e., you Eric." Sookie was frustrated now, just what kind of game was he playing at?

"Sookie, I bought that land after we were pledged. I purchased it for you; it's yours. Besides, what is mine is yours. I would not take a dime for it, but if you feel you must purchase it, then I will sell it to you for a dollar, no more."

Sookie's mouth dropped opened, her mind asking a thousand different questions at once. She didn't know which one to voice first.

"I can't do that Eric! That is ridiculous: I will pay you fair market value."

"Sookie, are you going to be stubborn on this, because I will not argue about it. What is your objection to my terms? What exactly is it that would not allow you to agree to my terms?" Eric knew damn well why Sookie found his terms objectionable, but he wanted to hear if she was willing to be honest with him about it. He was certain she would not agree and he already had another plan that he wanted to get her to agree upon. Now he waited to see if she would come clean with her reasons.

Sookie was not comfortable about paying a dollar to Eric. How would that look? Did he think he could buy her affections with these terms? She was no charity case either. Hell, she probably had more money than he did now. The old Sookie would have started to flip out by now and accuse Eric of trying to make her his pet by giving her this land, but not New Sookie. New Sookie knew in her heart that Eric only had good intentions and really believed what he was saying; that what was his was hers as well. But they weren't anywhere near that stage in their newly reformed relationship to claim such a thing, and frankly she wasn't sure if they ever would be.

"Eric, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I am not comfortable with that offer. It makes me feel like you're trying to buy my affections. I know that you are aware that I'm not the type of girl who can be bought, but it still doesn't feel right. If you cannot sell me the property for fair market value than I will have to seek other another piece of land to build on." Sookie was very open and calm with her explanation and Eric was on cloud nine hearing her voice them. He could not get over this new version Sookie. He didn't think he could have loved her anymore than he already did, but she was proving him wrong. Now it was time to get what he really wanted.

"I can respect your reasons so I will offer you another deal. I will sell you the land for the exact cost that I paid for it, and I want to be a sounding board for your new business. I don't know what you are doing, though I am very anxious to hear your plans. I know a lot about business, and I have a lot of connections in Renard Parish. I just want you to promise to turn to me when you need someone to bounce an idea off of, or if you are having problems with the construction details and all of the bureaucratic red tape. Does that sound fair to you?" Eric was hoping she would agree. He really wanted to be involved in Sookie's venture and knew this would be the only way Sookie would feel right about asking him for any advice or help.

Sookie couldn't find any reason to say no to his offer. The only stipulation Sookie had was that she would add in the amount of the property taxes Eric had paid to date on the land. She knew it wouldn't be a lot more than what he was asking, but that was non-negotiable. If she were honest with herself, she liked the idea of having Eric as a sounding board. This was the first business she had ever opened on her own and who better to have as an advisor than Eric. After all, the man had run one business or another for several centuries.

"I'll agree as long as I can add the amount that has been paid in property taxes. If you'll agree to that, you have a deal." Sookie smiled and waited for Eric's response.

Eric was ecstatic, but could not show Sookie just how much he was. He appeared to mull it over and in about a minute's time Eric said, "Agreed."

He and Sookie shook hands and both were very pleased. Sookie told Eric she would have a contract drawn up for him to sign the next day. She asked if she needed to send it to his lawyer's office or directly to him. He told her just to send it to him. He wasn't worried about the contract and frankly once Sookie became his legal wife in the state of Louisiana, none of it would matter.

That is what Eric wanted the most. He didn't dare share that with Sookie yet, and wouldn't until he felt the time was right. He knew that Sookie would never recognize their pledging ceremony as a real and binding marriage. The only way Sookie would truly feel like Eric's wife is if they were legally married in the human tradition; in front of God and man and licensed by the state. Eric was just happy that Louisiana now officially recognized human/vampire marriages.

"Now that our business dealings are through, there are a few other matters that I want to discuss with you Sookie." Sookie didn't want to start talking about their relationship yet tonight. She just wanted them to have some time together where they didn't have to bring up all those memories both good and bad.

"Eric, I don't think I am up for another discussion about us."

"Sookie, what I want to talk about is me taking you out on a date. I want to take you out Friday night, would that be acceptable?"

Sookie couldn't remember Eric ever taking her out on a real date and she was actually delighted with the idea.

"Friday night works for me. I would like that very much."

"Great, I will pick you up at eight. You should just dress casually, and know that you will be having dinner, so just leave the rest to me. I will take my leave now and I look forward to seeing you Friday." With that Eric stood up and Sookie rose too. She followed Eric to her front door, but before he took he left, he stopped and leaned down and gave Sookie a kiss on her cheek. He then said good night and left her house. Sookie felt like the evening was a success and was excited about their upcoming date

Eric drove to his home that night even more hopeful than he was the night before. He liked this new version of Sookie. She was much more honest with her feelings and it made him feel much more at ease with her. He quickly got a hold of Pam to give her the details of his meeting with Sookie. She reminded him not to get to confident because Sookie definitely had a mind of her own, and he would never know when she would surprise him. Eric took heed of Pam's words of caution, and drove the rest of the way to his house planning out all the details of his upcoming date with Sookie.


	14. Chapter 14

**Charlaine Harris owns them all.**

**Thanks everyone for all your wonderful and kind reviews and alerts. Hope you enjoy!**

**To my friend and beta, Sassyvampmama, thanks for all your hard work on this story. Just a big shout out to her mad skills and she even beta's for Tracee40 who currently is writing a great story, Remembered Love. We are two lucky ladies to have Sassyvampmama in our corner. **

**Chapter 14**

Sookie had her lawyer draw up a formal offer for the property the next day, and even had a clause put into it stating Eric would be acting as her consigliore. She had that term put in because she actually loved the movie the Godfather and definitely knew Eric would appreciate her new term for him. Sookie had also called Eric up and asked him which builders he recommended she use for her project. Sookie wanted to talk to as many builders as she could before she found the right one for the job. Sookie had suggested calling Alcide about it to Eric and immediately thought she heard a growl emanating from deep within his chest. She just ignored it.

Eric told Sookie he knew Alcide's company was pretty busy doing contracted work for a chain of restaurants. She didn't want to bother him if he was busy, nor did she want to have a working relationship interfere with their friendship, because she knew that he would feel like he should help her out. She had kept in touch with Alcide over the past three years, a phone call or Christmas card here and there, and once when he came to New Orleans for business he had met up with her and Dec for dinner.

She was surprised how fast her week flew by and before she knew it, it was time for her date with Eric. She had no idea where he was taking her. He had told her to dress casually, so she decided on a sun dress that was the most beautiful cerulean color blue with an almost tie dye pattern. It had a halter top that made her girls stand proud, open back and it flowed down to her knees. It was made of soft cotton and she slid on a pair of cute espadrilles that complimented the color of the dress. It was a very hot and humid night, and Sookie decided to put her hair up in a messy bun with small pieces framing her face. She didn't put on much make-up; she hardly ever did, and only applied a small amount of a lightly perfumed lotion. She knew that Eric would appreciate that with his enhanced sense of smell over dousing herself with spray on perfume.

As per usual Eric arrived right on time.

He loved the new door Sookie installed because it allowed him to take all of her in when she walked towards the front door. He was captivated by her. As he watched her hips sway in that dress, he was hard pressed to remain a gentleman. If it was up to him, he would forgo his plans and take her right there against the hallway wall. But it was not up to him. He knew he needed to do this the right way, and fucking her crazy up against the wall before their first official date wouldn't send the right message. He needed to gain her trust again and he didn't want to do anything that would hinder the process.

He was dressed in his usual casual attire tonight. He had thrown on a pair of dark wash jeans with a powder blue t-shirt and had a pair of flip-flops on his feet. He already had everything in the trunk of his car that would be needed for their date this evening.

"Hi Eric, please come in." Sookie taking in Eric's attire and she was slightly surprised at how casual he looked. He always wore jeans and a t-shirt, but seeing him in a pair of flip-flops made her chuckle a bit. She didn't know why she thought it was funny to see Eric in them, but maybe it was the size of his feet... He was a Viking after all, and then there's that old saying about the size of a man's feet is proportionate to the size of his... Yeah well, she already knew that saying was true, or at least in his case it was. Sookie felt herself begin to blush and giggled softly to herself, thinking, _'if only he knew how badly I want to jump him right now,'_ to herself.

"Sookie, you look stunning." It was then that Eric noticed Sookie snickering. "What do you find so amusing?" Eric gave Sookie questioning look.

"I'm sorry Eric; it's just that I don't think I have ever seen you in a pair of flip-flops before. You just don't strike me as a flip-flop type of guy."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," he said to her as he winked. "I have been told, and I have done some research on my own, and found out that dating is the best way to get to know someone. So, I have decided that our dates will revolve around each other's interests. I want to get to know everything about you and I want you to get know all about me again as well."

Sookie was dumbfounded and without thinking, she immediately blurted out. "Who are you, and what have you done with Eric Northman?" She was having a hard time grasping this Eric.

"Sookie, I have not changed. I have always been who I am, however having gone through the pain of these last three years without you has made me see things differently. Now, enough of that, let's get this date started." Eric motioned to leave and Sookie grabbed her purse and a small little cardigan.

Eric opened the door to his corvette and helped Sookie in. He went around his side, got in and asked if Sookie would like the top up or down. She chose to leave it up because she wasn't sure where they were headed, and she couldn't be sure what kind of condition her hair would be in when they arrived if they put it down.

They were driving for a good five minutes, making small talk when Sookie asked, "Eric, where are we going?"

"I have planned something a little different tonight. Instead of the usual dinner and a movie, which I have been told is the standard first date, I have opted for my own version of the typical first date. We are going to have our dinner and a Radio Broadcast under the stars." Eric flicked his eyes over to Sookie in the passenger seat to see her reaction.

"Radio broadcast under the stars? I don't think I have ever done that or even heard of it?" Sookie was actually intrigued.

"Well, since I have been around for a long time, I was fascinated with the invention of the radio. I always enjoyed music, but when they broadcasted entertainment shows I found myself tuning into them every night. As you know, before vampires revealed themselves, we didn't venture out as much. I had a couple of radios in my home and I always enjoyed listening to the different shows. I have downloaded one my favorites on my I-pod. It was a classic, and I am sure you heard of it. It is Orson Welles doing "The War of the Worlds."

"Oh, I've seen the movie with Tom Cruise, but I've never heard of the radio program." Sookie thought that the movie was kind of lame, but didn't want to mention that now. She didn't want to hurt Eric's feelings in case this was just as bad.

"Sookie, this is not at all like the movie. What is wonderful about listening to the stories on the radio is that it was very similar to reading books. And I know how much you love to read, which is another reason why I chose this activity. One can use their imagination while listening to stories, and see things the way they want to. You can envision your own characters and it makes you feel like you're actually living the adventure. As a matter of fact, this particular broadcast had many residents in the state of New Jersey in a state of pure panic. Somehow, most of the residents of that state tuned in during the middle of the broadcast and many of them thought the events in the story were actually happening." Eric was pleased that Sookie had never done anything like this. It was such a simple activity and yet it was new to her.

"Well I'm excited. Where are we going for this broadcast?"

"You will see."

Eric took Sookie to another piece of property he had bought back when he was buying land after Sookie's torture. It was half way between Shreveport and Bon Temps. It was 16 acres of lush acreage and it had trees surrounding the perimeter. It even had a small stream running through the woods.

Eric pulled onto the long dirt road that ran to a clearing on the property.

"Eric, this is beautiful spot, but don't you think we could get in trouble for being here? We don't even know who this land belongs too." Sookie didn't want to be trespassing on anyone's land.

"Sookie I have been coming to this area for years. I come to think sometimes and I have never seen a sole. I think we are safe." Eric smiled to himself.

Eric turned the ignition off and got out of the car and came around and helped Sookie out. He went to the trunk of his car and pulled out a couple of blankets, some large throw pillows and a picnic basket.

"Is there any particular spot you would like me to put the blanket?"

"Anywhere is fine with me." Sookie couldn't believe all the trouble Eric had gone through for tonight and was happy that he hadn't taken her to some fancy restaurant. She much preferred simpler activities.

Eric placed the blanket down not too far from the car. He threw the pillows down and reached for her hand to help Sookie sit on her knees. Eric joined her on the blanket. It was a beautiful night and all the stars were out. She couldn't help wonder just how many times Eric had actually viewed the stars above them.

"They are amazing, aren't they?" Eric was looking towards the sky admiring the stars that Sookie had been looking at.

"Yes, they are. I love to look at them and imagine all the history that these stars have witnessed." Sookie looked over to Eric.

"As old as I am and as much as I have seen, my existence certainly pales in comparison to these stars. It certainly can humble someone." Eric truly meant his words. "When I was alive, my people used these same stars to navigate by."

"What was it like to be a Viking?" Sookie wanted to hear so much about Eric and was hoping he would share some of his history with her.

"Why don't I get your food ready, and while you are eating I will tell you some stories of my people." Eric grabbed the basket and brought all the food out. Sookie eyes grew wide looking at all that Eric had brought.

"You know I couldn't possibly eat all this, but I promise you I'll try and make a dent." Eric had one of the chef's from a popular restaurant in Shreveport pack up this dinner for Sookie. He had also had some wine, tea and True blood put into a small cooler. Sookie enjoyed the delicious food while Eric told her stories of his Viking days. When Sookie had eaten all that she could, and Eric had finished his last Viking story of the evening, he suggested that they listen to the radio broadcast.

Eric packed up the blankets and basket and walked back to his vette. He laid the blanket on the hood and placed the pillows up by the windshield. Sookie stood and watched Eric; she was admiring him and basking in this wonderful night he had created for the two of them. Eric had already hooked his iPod up and settled Sookie on his hood and joined lying next to her. They could peer at the stars and listen to the broadcast.

"This sure is different from the last time you had me on the hood of your car." Sookie joked as she thought back to the night of the orgy when Eric had her on his car and was asking her to yield to him.

"Well, my wants aren't any different from that night, but that was certainly not my intention." Oh, how Eric wished he could have her right here, under the stars, but he would not ruin their night by making any advances.

They settled in and concentrated on the voices that were coming from Eric's car speakers.

Sookie loved the broadcast version of The War of the Words and she and Eric talked about it the whole ride home. When Eric brought her back to her house, he walked her to the door and gently and sweetly kissed her goodbye. He told her he hoped she enjoyed the evening as much as he did and asked her if she would consent to another date with him. They agreed to meet Monday night and Eric told her that they would be doing something that he knew she'd like. He told her that she should wear a comfortable dress, and a low pair of heels. Sookie laughed, knowing that he had expected her to agree to the second date and had already planned the evening. She bid him good night and went inside. She thought that she would never have a more perfect first date than she did that night and was already eagerly looking forward to Monday night.

Another weekend went by and Sookie relaxed during it. Eric had called her Saturday evening just to check in and to let her know how much fun he had on their first date and to say that he was looking forward to seeing her again on Monday. She was so fascinated by the stories Eric told her about the radio broadcasts and of his Viking travels that she spent a few hours on the internet researching each topic. She couldn't stop thinking about Eric and how open he was with her now. It was as if he was a completely new Eric.

She had managed to line up five contractors to meet her throughout the week to discuss her new business plans. She had already had an architect draw up her designs so she would have the actual blueprints to discuss with the contractors.

By early Monday night Sookie was going crazy wondering what Eric had in store for them, and Sookie was standing in front of her closet debating what she should wear. She finally decided on a vintage Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress that she found in a dress shop in New Orleans. She and Amelia loved to find these off beat shops in the city that more often than not carried some wonderful classic fashion pieces. Sookie knew she looked good in the dress; it showed off all her curves and played them up to perfection. She paired it up with a pair of two inch heels and left her hair down in wavy curls.

When Eric arrived he was wearing a pair of black casual dress slacks with a button up fitted black and grey stripped dress shirt that he had left un-tucked and black dress shoes. His hair was pulled back and whatever cologne he was wearing made him smell delicious. His ass looked yummy too in his dress slacks and it took all of Sookie's will power not to jump him on the spot.

"Sookie you look beautiful, as always. Are you ready for our date?"

Eric loved Sookie's dress and he so wanted to pull the ties on the side of her waste and open the entire dress up, revealing her beautiful body to him. It was getting more difficult each time he saw Sookie not to take her, consume her and make her his. Just the smell alone of her was enough to make him dizzy with desire. He wanted her so bad, but did not want to rush her. He was very excited about this date because he knew he would be getting his chance to hold her body close to his.

"Yes, you have me on my toes wondering what you have in store for us this evening. Are you going to tell me, or must I continue to wait?"

"Tonight we are attending a dance class. I know how much you love to dance and I will never forget a certain performance with your friend Tara in Mississippi. I thought you would enjoy learning some more classic types of dances." Eric let down the bond to feel Sookie's reaction and he could tell right away that Sookie was feeling joyful at the news. That delighted him.

Sookie's eyes grew wide and she was shocked.

"Did you just say we are taking a dance class?"

"Yes, we are taking a dance class. I have found a studio in the city that seems to have a very qualified instructor, and tonight they are offering a group lesson. I thought you might feel more comfortable if we were in a group atmosphere rather than if it were a private lesson. I hope that is ok?" Eric wanted nothing more to have a private lesson, but opted for the group for Sookie's sake. What Eric found most appealing is the instructor was in his sixties and had been teaching for over thirty years. His background was in all styles of dance and he had a wonderful reputation.

"Eric, I am more than ok with that. I can't believe you are going to take a dance lesson with me. Do you happen to know what kinds of dances we will be learning tonight?"

"I'm not sure. The studio offers a whole range of dances, but said that each group session's lesson is up to the instructor. I guess we will find out when we get there."

Eric and Sookie arrived at the studio right on time. It was a very old building and it was located on second floor, and Sookie and Eric had to walk up the stairs to get to it. When they entered the door they saw that there were already two other couples waiting. One couple looked to be in their early twenties and the girl had an engagement ring on her finger. The other couple appeared to be in their early seventies and the cutest part was that they were actually holding hands. Sookie thought the older couple was adorable and she was wondering if they had been married for a long time. She didn't see a ring on the women's finger, but she did let her shield down and found out they were both recently widowed and we're just starting to date.

The other couple was here to learn some dances for their upcoming wedding. Neither woman seemed too phased by Eric's presence, and that suited Sookie just fine. She put her shield back up and was gazing at all the pictures of what was probably the instructor hanging on the walls. They all heard a door open across the other side of the studio and in walked a man that was definitely not the man in the pictures on the wall. This man coming towards them appeared to be about six foot tall, dark hair and dark eyes and long dark hair pulled back in a pony tail. He could have been Antonio Banderas' twin from the movie Desperado. Sookie noticed both the other women's eyes lit up as the man walked towards everyone.

"Good evening, I want to inform you that Mr. Brawn will not be able to teach you tonight. He had a family emergency and I will be taking his place. My name is Ricoh and I am a professional dancer and friend of Mr. Brawn. I apologize if you are disappointed that Mr. Brawn will not be teaching, but I can assure you that I am more than qualified." Ricoh was looking at everyone but his eyes settled on Sookie when he said he was more than qualified, making his implication clear.

Sookie blushed and gave him her 'embarrassed Sookie' smile while Eric looked like he wanted to burn holes into Ricoh. Eric was not happy at all and Sookie could sense it, so she reached out and grabbed Eric's hand and gave it a good squeeze.

"Now I was told that one of the couples here is getting married soon and wanted to learn some dances for the big day." Ricoh looked over until he saw the young girl shaking her head yes.

'Great, I think we will start out with the waltz, then we can move to the foxtrot, and if we have time I think the tango would be fun dance to end the evening with."

Eric knew all these dances and he felt he could probably give this Ricoh a run for his money. He had to remind himself he was here for Sookie and would not allow this Casanova-wanna-be to bother him. Eric did not like the thought of Sookie finding anyone else but himself attractive, but even more so, anyone in his presence. He could tell Sookie and the other women were quite taken with this Ricoh, and all he wanted was for Sookie to keep her eyes and soon hands on him.

Ricoh began teaching everyone how to move for the waltz and he used the girl who was getting married as his instructional partner. Everyone seemed to pick up the dance quickly so Ricoh moved onto the fox trot.

Eric was familiar with this dance which allowed the dancers to combine fast and slow movements. The older couple was a little familiar with it as well, and Sookie had watched enough Dancing with the Stars that she also got it down pretty fast. Eric was the ideal partner and she felt like she was on cloud nine the entire time she was dancing with him.

The last dance that Ricoh wanted to show them was the tango. He told them with all the love that was surrounding him, he thought that the tango would be an excellent choice, however he needed a volunteer and he asked Sookie to be his helper.

"Sookie, you have such natural talent and your body really flows when you dance. I would be honored if you would help me demonstrate this beautiful and sensual dance." Ricoh reached out his hand to take hold of Sookie.

Sookie was so flattered and excited to be learning the tango that she immediately took his hand. Eric's inner beast was practically roaring in protest at the sight of another man taking hold of her hand. Ricoh cued the music on and walked Sookie to the center of the studio. Everyone's eyes were on the two of them. The music began and Ricoh grabbed a hold of Sookie and led Sookie across the floor, back and forth he led her, their bodies held tightly together. Eric fangs dropped, he was practically seeing red and when Ricoh bent Sookie down into a dip with his body leaning over hers with his hands holding her tight to him, and Eric erupted.

That was all Eric could take. In a blink of an eye Eric was roughly removing Ricoh's hands from Sookie's body and wrapped her in his own arms. Sookie was shocked, one moment Ricoh was holding her and the next Eric was. The music was still playing and Eric continued the dance. Sookie was so caught up in the music and dance and lust that was radiating off Eric and herself that all she wanted was for Eric to dominate her. She loved how powerful he was and how this dance allowed him to control her movements. Before she knew it, the song ended and she was between Eric's legs looking up into his eyes. She heard clapping, and then the sound of fast moving air was all around her.

Eric quickly scooped her up from under his legs and into his arms. They were both so turned on by their dancing, that it was all he could do not to rip her dress off her right there on the floor and fuck her into oblivion. He knew Sookie would not be happy if took her right then, so he did the next best thing. He used his vampire speed and got them out of there and found a very dimly lit alley a few blocks down from the studio.

He had Sookie up against the wall, devouring her mouth and laying kisses all over her face and neck within seconds. She was moaning and clawing at him, kissing him with a need that easily equaled his own. They were on fire for each other. All the dancing and touching had worked both of them up with desire that neither had known was about to explode. They couldn't ignore it now though, and they needed each other.

Eric's lips worked down to the cleavage of Sookie's dress and his hands pushed the fabric off her shoulders to expose her lace bra. He ripped the bra straight down the middle and ran his lips and fangs across her breasts. One of his amazingly dexterous hands was pulling and tugging on Sookie's right nipple while his mouth suckled and grazed the other nipple. Eric's free hand raised the hem of Sookie's dress and almost violently ripped her underwear right off her soaking wet lips. Sookie was writhing and spread her legs further for Eric to enter her with his hand. He cupped her womanhood and ran one finger up and down her dripping slit while his thumb and forefinger drew circles around her nub.

Sookie's voice grew louder and her hand reached out for Eric's pants and unsnapped his trouser button and slid his zipper down. She then used both of her hands to pull his pants down as far as she could, while pleading the whole time for Eric to take her. Eric removed his hand from Sookie's pussy, which was drenched with her excitement, lifted her legs and raised her up for her to wrap her legs around his waist, and in one quick thrust Eric had buried himself deep inside Sookie. As she screamed out his name, Eric echoed her with her name spilling from his lips.

Eric, buried deep inside her, stopped for a second to savor the feeling of being inside his Sookie and thanked his gods. His mind was thinking that never in his 1000 years of existence did he feel so alive, so complete, and that this was exactly where he belonged. He was meant to be with this woman. She was his own personal valkyrie and he loved her. He roared his declaration of love to Sookie and she screamed back the exact sentiment to him. Both sides of their bond were open and both of them knew that they had never felt such happiness or truth in those words. Eric pulled out of her and then pushed himself back in again, Sookie demanding for him to go harder and faster. Before either knew it was going to happen, Sookie began to contract around Eric's length and Eric's stomach tightened, each shouting each other's name as they reached their simultaneous orgasm.

Eric shot stream after stream of his seed into Sookie. He felt like he had been a dormant volcano all these years without her, but now he had finally erupted. Sookie's orgasm went on and on and just when it was coming to a completion she screamed for Eric to bite her. Eric leaned down and licked her neck and sank his fangs into her, drawing the most intoxicating blood he has ever had into his mouth. Sookie immediately began to orgasm for a second time, and she was so caught up in the moment and the need to consume Eric that she bit into his neck, drawing on him as well. Eric, still buried inside her clenching walls, exploded again. Both were still drinking from each other, and feeling their orgasms so intensely that it felt like electrical currents were spreading back in forth to each other. When Eric withdrew his fangs and licked Sookie's neck, she removed her mouth from his neck, and both were breathless from the intensity of their mating.

Each pair of eyes looked directly at the other with an all consuming emotion, and Sookie could only utter what was repeating over and over in her mind. "I love you Eric."

Wonder how these two are going to react after they really think about what just happened? Hope you stick with it and find out tomorrow. Thanks!


	15. Chapter 15

**Charlaine Harris owns them all.**

**Thanks again to everyone who is reading, reviewing and alerting the story. I really appreciate it. It is starting to wind down. **

**Sassyvampmama, thanks for being such a wonderful friend and beta. You are the best!**

**Chapter 15**

Eric's reaction to her words was immediate. He leaned into her enthusiastically and kissed her with as much passion as he could convey. When the kiss ended, he cradled her face with his free hand and captured her eyes with his own, and he joyously replied, "Oh Sookie, I love you too."

When Eric loosened his remaining grip on Sookie's thighs, she immediately withdrew her legs from around him and Eric gently lowered her down onto the ground. Sookie wasn't sure how she felt about what had just happened between them, and Eric was worried that Sookie would begin to regret doing it. He was afraid she would want to run away from him, or worse, reject him once she really started to think about it. Eric searched the bond to see if he could feel what she was feeling, but she had closed her side off from him. He could not get over how she was able to do that, it was unheard of for a human to be able to manipulate a blood bond.

Eric pulled his pants up while Sookie pulled her dress down, relieved that she still had a dress and that the only casualty was only a pair of her panties and bra. Eric waited, almost scared, for Sookie to say something. He had not wanted their first coupling to be so hard and fast, but his beast had been roaring at tonight's events and nothing but her full physical domination would have been enough to stop him.

When Sookie had put herself back to rights, she leaned into Eric and hugged him hard, and whispered, "Eric, just hold me. Please, just hold me tight. I need to feel your body close to mine." She wanted to make sure this was real, that what had just happened wasn't some crazy lust-induced fantasy. And maybe, just maybe, it was because she was a bit scared by the intensity of her feelings for the vampire next to her.

Eric held her tight, running one of his hands through her hair and stroking her back with the other. He knew that he never wanted to let her go now; she was his and in his mind he kept repeating one simple word; _'mine, mine, MINE.'_

"I'm sorry if you are upset about how this happened, but I will not lie and tell you that I'm sorry we did. This is not how I wanted or what I planned to…"

Sookie pulled away from Eric's chest and placed her fingers over his mouth.

"Stop, Eric, please. This happened because we wanted it to happen. We both wanted this. I'm not sorry. Yes, I will admit having sex against an alley wall was not what I had in mind when we went out this evening. However, I'm smart enough to realize life and death don't go according to what we have planned. I know you didn't take me dancing just so that we would wind up having sex, but I won't lie to you either and say I didn't enjoy it. We both obviously love each other, and we both wanted and needed the other right then, end of story." Sookie was not going to deny what she was feeling; this was the new Sookie and she was a realist. However, she also knew that this was not going to happen again, not like this. No matter how much she loved him she still had not forgotten what he had done.

Eric was floored by her words. Hearing her say that she wanted him made him want to take her all over again, but he swore the next time he had Sookie it would be in a bed and he would be gentle and giving. He cupped her face gently once more with his hands and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. When the kiss ended he pulled away to escort her back to his car. The walk to his car was comfortably silent and it almost surprised him when Sookie began to speak again.

"Eric, I want tell you that this isn't happening again, at least not like this, and not until I feel like we are in a better place in our relationship. This," she said as she pointed back and forth to her and Eric, "doesn't mean I am yours. This was a derailment to us getting to know each other again. I think we can be pretty positive that physically we know each other very well, and we certainly can't deny how attractive we are to each other. But honestly Eric, I still have doubts about us as a couple, even if I do love you."

"Sookie, I understand you have doubts. I want to, and I am honestly trying to, show you that I am not the same Eric as I was three years ago. I also realize you are not the same Sookie. I want to do this right. I love you and I will prove to you that I will not hurt you. I would rather meet the sun than to ever cause you that kind of pain again. I know I cannot change the past, but I want you to know that I will never forget it either. I feel truly blessed that you are willing to give us another chance."

Eric gathered Sookie back into his arms, held her tight and flew her the rest of the way to his car. The ride to Sookie's home was silent, though not uncomfortable, giving them both time to think some things over. When Eric got Sookie home she leaned over and gave him a kiss good night.

"Thank you Eric, I did enjoy dancing with you." Sookie was exhausted and told Eric not to bother getting out of the car, saying that she would see herself in. He told her he would call her the next evening and they could discuss what they could do for their next date before telling her goodnight and driving away.

Once Sookie had settled into her bed, having brushed her teeth, removed her make-up and had gotten her PJ's on, she thought a lot about what had happened between her and Eric. She had mixed emotions about their outdoor sex. She was disappointed in herself for giving into her desire so easily. She had enjoyed every moment of it and she was annoyed at that too. She knew that she wasn't emotionally ready for that step in her and Eric's relationship. For Pete's sake, she had only really just started to see him again. Yes she loved him, and she sure as hell wanted him anytime he was in her presence, but there was still that nagging voice in her mind. Was she setting herself up for a great big fall? She felt Eric's love, and certainly his lust, but could she ever trust him enough to be his lover again? She wasn't sure and she desperately needed someone to talk to. She reached over and grabbed her phone off her nightstand and dialed Amelia.

"Hey girl, it's almost 1:00 AM, what's wrong?" Sookie hadn't even bothered looking to see what the hour was before she had dialed and once she realized it, she felt bad for calling her so late.

"Oh my God, Meels, I am so sorry! I got so caught up in my own mind that I didn't even notice the time."

"What's wrong? I can tell by the tone of your voice that you're upset about something. Did something happen between you and Eric?" Amelia knew it couldn't be about her business, she would have waited to call during the day for that.

"I fucked Eric against an alley wall in Shreveport tonight and then I told him I loved him." Sookie almost shouted at her friend.

"And this is a bad thing because…?" Amelia could tell that Sookie was upset about it, but she was trying to make her see that it wasn't as bad as she thought.

"This was not the way it was supposed to go. I was not going to have sex with him on our second date, Amelia, and I just blurted the 'I love you' out without thinking. I could not stop myself. What the hell am I going to do now?"

"Alright, let's deal with the important issue first, was it mind-blowing sex?" Amelia snickered.

"Amelia! Please be serious, I need someone to talk to. I'm beginning to panic. I still don't trust him. How can I love him so much and still feel like I can't trust him. I'm scared. It's painfully obvious that I can't keep myself off him when we are together." Sookie didn't even want to admit to herself, let alone to Amelia, that she had exchanged blood with him again. It was bad enough she had fucked him, but what the hell had gotten into her? _'Oh yeah, Eric Northman, that's who.' _

Sookie was really starting to get worked up and Amelia needed to talk her down, fast.

"Sookie, did it feel right when you two were together? Did it feel right when he was fucking you? Did it feel right when you told him you loved him?" Amelia fired one question after another hoping Sookie would realize that the answer was 'yes' to all of her questions.

"Well yes, but the more I think about it now, the more I know that it was a mistake. It was only our second date." Sookie said.

"Sookie, it might have been your second date, but good grief girl you two have a lot of history together. You're bonded to him, and in Eric's eyes, you're married to him. Did he say he loved you too?"

"Yes, and I felt it through the bond too. I don't question his love or desire for me. I guess I'm still questioning his actions three years ago. Is that wrong?" Sookie felt almost bipolar when it came to her feelings on Eric's betrayal. One moment she completely forgave him and the next she wanted to ring his neck for what he had done.

"Sookie, if you didn't think you two had a possible future then you wouldn't be giving him this chance. It's going to take some time; you two haven't seen each other in three years. But in my opinion, why fight the inevitable? You and Eric belong together. I know you loved Dec, but in your heart of hearts, you know that Eric is your true soul mate. He is who you should be with. You know you love him like no other and I believe it's the same for him. Now, how did you leave it with him tonight?"

"I told him I wasn't sorry for what we did, but I could tell he was conflicted. He brought me home and said he would call me tomorrow night to set up our next date."

"Sook, you love him, he loves you. Doesn't the fact that he was not with anyone else during the past three years prove to you he can and will be faithful to you? Hasn't he paid enough for what happened? You yourself admit your actions helped to facilitate his actions. You both are different people because of that incident. Don't feel bad for feeling happy."

"You're right, I'm glad I talked to you, you always keep it real with me. I guess it seems like I want to crucify him for a kiss, but Meels, you know it's not all about the kiss, right? It's more about how he couldn't or didn't want to tell me about his pet, but she sure knew all about me."

"Look, you're going to have to decide if you can get over it. He has already explained to you how it was with her for him. He knows he screwed up, but don't waste his time or yours if you won't forget about it and forgive him. Honestly Sookie, she would have never been with him that long had you come clean with your feelings for Eric after the witches curse. You kept them hidden and went out with that Tiger, and then you even flaunted him under Eric's nose. How the hell you ever chose Quinn over Eric is beyond me, by the way. So what was Eric suppose to do, become a monk? " Amelia had to get Sookie to see that she was not without her own fair share of the fault in what had happened between them.

Sookie let out a breath of air. "You're right; I know you're right. Thanks Meels."

Sookie felt so much better. She and Amelia talked some more and made arrangements to get together next week since Sookie had to go back to New Orleans for a board meeting at Pelican Publishing.

Eric drove around for a while after dropping Sookie off. He needed some time to think. He wasn't sure what to make of their night, and he was worried that when Sookie had time to think about it, she would come to regret having sex with him.

Eric decided he needed to talk to Pam. He thought that she would know how he should proceed with Sookie. Eric entered the club unexpectedly and when he got to his office, Pam was already sitting at his desk working on his computer.

Pam could smell Eric from across the room. He reeked of sex and Sookie and she was surprised to see him walking in here smelling that way. He also must have fed because he had a color to him that she hadn't seen on him in three years. The problem was, he didn't look happy and if he had fucked and fed from Sookie, he should be completely ecstatic. In fact, he should still be feeding and fucking her at this early hour unless something bad had happened.

"Master, I was not expecting you. Something tells me that your evening did not go as planned. May I ask what happened? Why are you not still out with Sookie on your date?"

"I completely let my jealousy and lust take hold of me tonight. I was so pissed at the instructor for putting his hands all over Sookie and for leering at her, that I lost it. I pushed him off her and took over leading her in the tango. After the song ended, I was so worked up that I grabbed her and flew us out of there, and then I fucked her against a wall in an alley. Pam, I fucked her like I was an animal. She deserves so much better. What is wrong with me?" Eric was beside himself with how he had treated Sookie.

"Eric, you let a sixty year old dance instructor get you that jealous? To the point where you had to fuck Sookie against a wall to prove to her she is yours?" Pam could not believe he could be that stupid. Would she have to supervise these dates for Eric to behave himself?

"First, it wasn't the teacher you recommended. He had some sort of an emergency, so some Don Juan wannabe taught the class tonight instead, and he could not keep his eyes or his comments to himself. All night he was making a fuss over her and then he asked her to help demonstrate the tango with him. The fucking tango; I have been dancing the Tango since long before he was even a shine in his daddy's eye. I should have been more in control of myself, but I have craved her for three years, and with all that dancing and the lust, I just couldn't stop myself."

"Eric, you have never forced yourself on anyone before. I simply cannot believe that you forced Sookie to have sex." Pam was confused.

"No I did not force her; she wanted it to happen just as much as I did. I just did not want our first time together after all these years to be against a brick wall in an alley in Shreveport."

"Did she get angry afterwards? Did she tell you she never wanted to see you again?' Pam was expecting Eric to tell her Sookie wanted nothing to do with him. Was she going to deny her Master yet again? Pam thought she'd be ruining yet another pair of pumps if that was the case.

"No, she told me she loved me and asked me to hold her afterwards. She said she didn't regret doing it, just the when and where. I took her home and told her I would call her tomorrow night to set up our next date." Eric was at a quandary, so he asked, "What should I do?"

"You need to get your ass over to her house and make sure Sookie doesn't over think this. She is liable to run for the hills."

"You don't think she needs her space…"

"Space? For fucks sake, she has had three years of space to get over what happened between the two of you. Eric, if she let you fuck her against a wall and then told you she loves you, then my money is on the fact that she is scared right now. Scared you aren't going to be what you say you are. Go to her and reassure her that you are not the same man that hurt her three years ago. Let her see that, and if you have to tell her that every single day along with showing her, then that is what you are going to have to do." Pam could not get over how much Eric loved Sookie, and silently prayed she never had to go through this kind of torment like he has had to.

He had to do something soon though; that she was sure of.


	16. Chapter 16

**Charlaine Harris owns them all.**

**Thanks again for putting me on alerts, reading and reviewing. I am glad that you are enjoying this story of "growth" between Sookie and Eric. They came a long way, but I think that their time a part was well worth what it. Personally, I really like this Sookie and who what have ever thought a 1000 year old vampire can learn a thing or two. The next chapter is the last, it will be the epilogue. Thanks again and hope you like this.**

**Sassyvampmama, you are the most amazing friend and beta. Without your help, guidance and support I could have never written this. You are the best!**

**Chapter 16**

Sookie had just ended her call with Amelia and placed her phone on her night stand. She felt a thousand times better, and she knew that her heart and gut where telling her she absolutely belonged with Eric; it was her head that was only ninety percent convinced. It was that damn ten percent that wasn't on board that was causing her to freak out and was making her scared. Could she live with ten percent? She knew there were no guarantees in life or in relationships for that matter. She was thinking more about what Amelia had said to her when she heard a tapping on her window.

Sookie immediately knew it was Eric. Why the heck couldn't he just use a phone or even the front door? Sookie got up off her bed and went to the window, and she was definitely having a strong feeling of déjà vu. She quickly slid her window open to see her caller.

When she saw him she felt a sense of relief and excitement wash over her. Eric had always had a calming effect on her, both physically and mentally. She was feeling so many emotions before he came, and somehow, just looking at him made all her fears began to vanish. She opened her window for him, but before he could enter she started speaking.

"Do you always come to women's windows at such a late hour seeking entrance?" She asked. Eric was slightly annoyed by her comment, that she thought he would seek anyone out but her. However Sookie gave him a huge smile and wink, letting Eric know she was only kidding.

"Nope, only to one woman's window and she answers to the name of Sookie Stackhouse." Eric shot back at her.

"Well then, I guess you came to the right window. Would you like to come in?"

Eric slid in and faced her. He had to see her eyes. He did not like how they parted and he wanted to make sure she was okay.

"I was not comfortable with how we left things tonight. I am sorry if my actions were too much too fast." Eric said with sincerity.

"Eric you weren't alone in your actions tonight. We had sex because we both wanted it to happen, but I will admit I am scared. What we did tonight is a big step forward in my commitment to you, because I don't just have sex for the hell of it. I'm scared that I am giving you more of me then I'm ready for. I'm confused because it feels so right when we are together. We have been apart for three years, and I'm scared at how easily and natural it was for me to want to fall right back in your arms again. The last time I felt so confident in my feelings for you, I walked in on you with your pet. Maybe I'm just wondering what I'm going to find out this time that would crush me. Nothing seems to last forever, that's what I have experienced in my life. Whether it has been my parent's or my Gran's death, Bill's multiple betrayals, your betrayal, or even Dec's death. Anyone who I have ever truly loved either dies or betrays me. Either way I'm left alone, and I'm scared it'll happen again." Sookie stood looking at Eric and she began to cry. This was everything that had been buried inside her.

Eric's heart was breaking for her. He felt her pain and he knew he was part of the reason she carried it. He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, letting her rest her head on his chest. Her tears were soaking his shirt as Sookie let out all her fears onto it.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that I caused you such pain. You have been through so much in your young life. You have lost so much and have been hurt so badly. I know I hurt you, and for that I am deeply sorry. Sookie, I promise I will never leave you or keep things from you ever again. I cannot be without you and will do whatever I have to do to convince you that we belong together." Eric pulled away from Sookie to look in her eyes, "I love you."

Just hearing those three words and feeling the truth of it through the bond moved Sookie. He was so beautiful standing in front of her, so open in his feelings for her that all she felt was his love surrounding her. She wanted to feel more of Eric. She wanted him again, and she would not ignore those feelings inside her any longer; feelings that she only had for him.

"Eric, make love to me, show me how much I mean to you. Make me yours." Sookie removed her nightgown and slipped her underwear off. She stood in front of Eric naked, baring herself and her soul for him to take. Eric was transfixed by this beautiful creature in front of him. He stared into her eyes as he removed his shirt and pants. He kicked off his shoes and bent down to take his socks off.

Sookie moved towards him, reaching for his face with her hands. She kissed him slowly as if she was afraid he would disappear. He returned her kiss and he picked her up and tenderly laid her down on the bed. "You are so beautiful, my lover." With that Eric bent down to kiss her as if he had been waiting his entire thousand years to do so. Sookie ran her fingers through his hair and was lost in his kiss.

When the kiss ended, Eric began working his lips along her jaw line, down her slender neck and over her collar bone, then continued down to the valley between her breasts. Once he reached her chest, he began to slowly kiss one breast while lightly stroking her other. Sookie's nipples were aching and she grabbed Eric's head and encouraged him to devour her breasts. He would not be rushed though; he wanted to take his time and to worship Sookie. He wanted to make love to her like she deserved, like this was the first time. His words were not enough. He had to show her that he was hers without a doubt, and make her believe that she was his. He worked both of her nipples, alternating between kissing and pulling and sucking on them with his cool lips and tongue, and rolling them between his thumb and forefinger. Sookie was moaning, she could feel the moisture pooling at her core and was aching for him to love all of her.

Eric could smell her arousal, and he wanted to taste her essence more than he had ever wanted anything before. He began to place kisses down her stomach, stopping to lick her curves along the way, and stroking his hands all along her body. His kisses continued to descend down towards her now dripping center. His fangs were scraping her skin causing her to moan with pleasure, and he was breathing in her intoxicating and unique smell. No one else had ever smelled or tasted quite like his Sookie. He passed over her womanhood, hesitating briefly to blow a breath of cool air over her smoldering mound, and began kissing the inside of her thighs, going down one leg and then he worked his wet kisses up the other. Sookie was delirious in her want. She was moaning and her whole body was on fire. She wanted his mouth on her and was literally begging Eric to kiss her.

Eric knew where she wanted those kisses, and he slowly moved his mouth to her center, running the tip of his tongue up along her moistened slit. Up and down he went, repeating the motion of his tongue while he separated her folds with his thumbs. Once she was open to him, he circled her clit, teasing it with his tongue and his lips, and then he sucked hard on her nub. She was begging Eric not to stop when he inserted one finger into her opening as he continued to work her outer lips with his very talented mouth. He began pumping his finger rhythmically in and out and soon added a second finger. Sookie's orgasm was building up to its crescendo. Eric curled his fingers, stroking her special spot as he sucked hard on her clit, forcing Sookie towards her climax. He could feel Sookie suddenly contracting around his fingers and he smiled as she let out a low scream.

"Oh God, Eric," on hearing her call his name, he moved his mouth to her inner thigh, licking her first, then piercing her skin and drawing in her ambrosia. A second wave of pleasure ran through Sookie as his fangs pierced her and she was practically shaking underneath Eric with the strength of her passion.

He removed his fangs and healed her with a caress of his tongue. He lifted himself up over Sookie; his considerable length was rock hard and begging to bury itself inside her silky walls. He looked into her eyes, demanding to see her desire for him and conveying his own for her. He lined his length up at her entrance and pressed forward, sheathing himself in her depth. He heard himself shouting out her name, "Sookie, my lover, I love you. You were made for me, just as I was made for you." He then began to move his hips in a torturously slow rhythm against hers. Pushing in and slowly backing out, feeling the wonderful tightness enveloping his hardness in such a grip that it immediately gave way to his building pleasure.

He needed to be even closer to her, his lips needed to be touching hers. He leaned down to her and he took possession of her mouth, kissing her while pumping himself into her. Sookie had never felt so connected to anyone as she did to him when Eric was inside her, filling her body and soul so completely. He was feeling as if he was inside Valhalla. No one in his entire thousand years of existence had ever made him feel so complete. He knew that only his Sookie could do that for him. Sookie needed to feel more of Eric, and reached up and threw her arms and legs around him. She wanted to cling to him and she began chanting," Don't ever leave me, never leave me. I love you, and I need you Eric."

Hearing her wanting him and demanding him to stay with her, made Eric's beast roar in satisfaction. He then began to pick up his pace, and repeated, "Never, I will never leave you, you are mine now Sookie. I love you and will never be apart from you again."

Sookie could feel that familiar tingle in her abdomen begin to build up once more and she began to move harder against Eric, needing to increase the friction between their now frantic bodies. She was so close to reaching her climax and began to tell him so. She then began to scream out, "Tell me you are mine, I'm so close. Eric, tell me that you are mine." Eric could feel Sookie's walls beginning to contract around his length and he felt himself tightening as well. After a few more deep thrusts, he buried himself inside her, and as he erupted he shouted," I am yours, I will always be yours."

Sookie screamed out his name, feeling her orgasm take over her body and his cool seed shooting deep inside her. She then begged Eric to bite her, with that Eric's fangs sank into her breast, bringing on yet another orgasm for both of them. She felt like she was having an out-of-body experience and Eric felt like his cold dead heart was beating once again.

As both of them began to come back down from their love induced high, Eric fell to the side of Sookie and gathered her into his arms, whispering sweet words of love into her ear. Sookie knew in that moment that this was where she belonged. She was Eric's and he was hers, that without a doubt, their hearts belonged to each other. The rest they could work it out as they went along. She wanted her life to be with Eric, and so she turned and looked to him, and she said those three words that he had wanted her to believe, "I am yours."

Their bond was buzzing with all their love and excitement, and all Eric could say as he was holding her was, "As I am yours."

Both of them in were in a state of euphoria, snuggled to each other's arms peacefully, and they drifted off, her sleeping and Eric in his downtime. Eric stayed with Sookie until he knew he had to go or meet the sun. He hated to leave her, but he wrote her a note telling her how happy he was now and how much he loved her and that he would call her as soon as he rises.

Sookie woke up feeling like a new person. She felt happier and lighter than she ever had before. She knew that last night was only the beginning of her new life, one she would spend with Eric. They had a lot to work out, but she was fully committed to him and she finally understood and knew that he was hers once and for all.


	17. Chapter 17

**Charlaine Harris owns them all**

**A Huge Thanks to everyone who put this on alerts, favorites, reviewed and read. I am overwhelmed at the positive response on my first story. I hope you enjoyed the whole journey of Eric and Sookie and now the epilogue. Thanks again!**

**Sassyvampmama, my friend and beta, you are the whole reason for this story ever getting written and posted. I can't thank you enough for all the hard work you put into it. Thanks, you are the Best!**

**Chapter 17**

**Epilogue**

After their night of passion, Sookie and Eric began working on a real relationship between the two of them. He would call her every night and they would arrange to see each other at least three times a week. Eric was determined to continue to date her, even though he knew that she already loved him, and he came up with some really great date nights. They never went back for more dance lessons, but they did go out dancing quite often. They went to museums and to some planetariums as well. They did some midnight rock climbing and night sailing under a sky filled with stars. He shared more of his past with her and she shared hers. For Sookie's thirtieth birthday, Eric took her to a wonderful restaurant that catered to the supernatural creatures in the area and for his gift to her, he gave her a kitten. It was a beautiful white Angora cat and she named it Snowflake.

As the months passed by, Sookie made several trips back to New Orleans. She sold her homes, both the New Orleans house and the Gulf Shores beach house. There were too many memories of Dec to keep them and she wanted to move on with her life with Eric. She would visit with Amelia whenever she was in New Orleans, Amelia always insisted that she stay with her and it always felt like old times when she did. She had decided to keep Pelican Publishing, and had several charities that she remained involved with. Both commitments required her presence in New Orleans at least once every other month.

Eric was spending less and less time at Fangtasia. Sookie had never wanted to go back Fangtasia after that awful night of having seen Eric with his pet, and Eric understood why. Sookie was not going to apologize for not wanting anything to do with Eric's club, and she had explained to Eric how she felt about Pam's actions that night. She told him she felt like Pam had betrayed their friendship with her actions by looking out for his pet's safety instead of hers, but now understood why Pam had done what she had. She also told him that she never wanted to see or keep in touch with her during their time apart because Pam just reminded her too much of Eric.

Pam came to visit Sookie one night at Eric's house after Sookie and Eric had been back together for a few months. Sookie spent two or three nights a week at his house now, she liked staying there because she got to sleep with Eric and wake up in the morning with him next to her. Even if he was dead to the world, she felt like they were a real couple. Pam and Sookie talked and after a few nights of getting together, their friendship was healed and it grew once more. It was fairly common now for Pam to spend some of her free time hanging out with her and Eric.

Sookie kept in touch with her human friends too. She would usually visit with them during the days; sometimes it would be a lunch here or an early dinner there. From time to time she and Eric would double date with Tara and JB. And at least once a month she would have Jason over for a Sunday dinner, and Eric would join them when the time allowed him to.

During the course of building and starting her business, Sookie had learned a whole new respect for the people who built their own businesses from the ground up. The process was exhausting and frustrating, but Eric was a huge help to her. He enjoyed being her consigliore, and he always teased her that he finally had made her an offer that she could never refuse. And he was right in the fact that she couldn't.

She and Eric made love just about every night they were together. They did it slow and fast, hard or gentle, while getting wet in the rain, outdoors or indoors, you name it. They had all kinds of sex and they enjoyed it all. They never could get enough of each other. They even experimented from time to time in the bedroom. Sookie, much to her surprise, found that she definitely liked to be dominated and that Eric was the perfect Dom to her sub. They didn't get too out of hand, because Sookie was still Sookie after all, and her good old southern upbringing would only allow her to go so far. But Eric wasn't complaining; nope, not one bit.

Sookie finally opened her business a year after she had officially purchased the property from Eric. She had a grand opening and invited all her friends and family. She called it Good Times and was happy to see that it was an immediate success. The kids and families from Bon Temps and neighboring towns really like it and took right to it. The best part about it was that all the towns that were close to Bon Temps had reported lower rates of truancy, vandalism and misdemeanors among their youth. Sookie finally felt like she really was giving back to the communities.

After about six months of Good Times being open for business, Eric asked Sookie to go on a trip with him. She knew she needed to get away after the crazy year she'd had and eagerly accepted his invitation. She loved the idea that Eric was going to surprise her with their destination, something that she would not have liked four years ago. Eric had asked Pam pack for Sookie so that Sookie would be truly surprised. Eric ended up taking her to Sweden, where he took her to the city of Stockholm for a few days, and then they crossed over into Norway where he took her to his own farm in Oslo. They had a wonderful time exploring, relaxing and just being together.

On the last night of their trip they returned to Sweden and Eric proposed to Sookie. They had just made love and in their haze of post-coital contentment, Eric popped the question in their bed. He had hidden the ring in the side table drawer and had pulled it out and opened the box to display the ring to her. He was so excited to see if she liked it. He had designed the ring just for her. It was a round diamond in an antique platinum setting with diamonds imbedded along the band. He told her that the diamond had reminded him of the sun. He then told her she was his very own sun because he felt that she was the light to his darkness.

Sookie began to cry, tears of happiness and joy streamed down her cheeks, and she felt so blessed to have been given this second chance with Eric. They talked about when they would marry and agreed they wanted a small, intimate wedding. Sookie wanted to get married at her family home and she didn't want to wait very long. They figured they could put a wedding together in two months time. Eric talked to Sookie about children, and he honestly felt bad that he could not give her any, but Sookie told Eric that she did not want any and that she had made that decision before when she was with Dec. She told him that Dec could not give her children either and that she was more than fine with that. She said that she now had plenty of children to care for everyday with her new business.

Sookie never did ask Eric how he had managed to keep DeCastro from trying to use her telepathy over the last several years, and quite frankly, she didn't want to know. She knew that if she did that he would tell her, and she also knew that if he thought she was in danger or should know something, that Eric would not keep that from her now. Eric also told her that he was pretty much going to hand the day to day operation of Fangtasia over to Pam permanently. He would have to go there from time to time to take care of area business, but he was going to concentrate on his other business ventures instead. Sookie knew all about every one of Eric's business and corporations now. She also knew about every house he owned and was relieved to find out that he truly had sold his pet's home before they had even been pledged.

Sookie told Eric that she also wanted to incorporate both a bonding/ pledging ceremony into their human wedding. She figured why not? If two different religions can combine their ceremonies and traditions, then so could they. Eric was so happy that Sookie wanted to acknowledge the validity of their vampire marriage to everyone. Once everything was said and done, the ceremonies went off without a hitch, and to top everything off, even Pam had cried when the minister had pronounced them wed in the eyes of the Lord.

As far as their bond went, Sookie had now mastered how to control it just like she had done with her shields for her telepathy. She had learned to love the bond, and she and Eric exchanged blood so regularly now, that sometimes when they opened the bond up it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended. The best part of the bond was when they made love. Feeling the intensity of their dual love and simultaneous orgasms was like nothing that anyone could describe.

After Sookie had first accepted Eric's ring, he had two very important topics that he wanted to discuss with her. First was where they were going to live. He was tired of them going back and forth from her house to his and he wanted them to build their own house. He told her about all the land he had previously bought in Bon Temps and the surrounding areas that lead to Shreveport. Sookie liked the idea that they would build a house together, but did not want to sell her family home, as there were just too many memories of her Gran associated with it. That was fine with Eric, and he settled on wanting to keep his one home that was in Shreveport as well.

The second conversation was one that he had been dreading. It was the one topic that pained him above all others and that was the topic of her mortality. He wanted her to be with him for all eternity and he knew with perfect certainty that if she was not willing to be turned, then he would meet the sun when she no longer took a breath. They were so intertwined in their bond to each other, and the love that they had was beyond the norm. He could never be without her, in fact, both he and Sookie both felt the effects of any amount of physical distance between them. When Sookie would go to New Orleans for a few days, both of them would ache for each other and not just in the heart, but both would physically feel ill without the other's presence. He brought the subject of her becoming a vampire up shortly after they had started dating seriously again, and Sookie did not want to talk about it at the time. Now he had to ask her again.

"Sookie, you have made me so happy and I cannot bear to think of us ever being apart again. I want to spend forever with you. Please, my lover, please consider becoming my eternal companion." Eric pleaded with his eyes as he gazed upon Sookie, who was lying on her side and looking absolutely breath taking in that position. Her hair was tossed to one side and she was propped up on one elbow looking directly up at Eric.

"Eric, I know that what we have is special. I love you so much and I realize that living the human life that I thought I was suppose to lead is not in my cards. It's also not what I want. I know now that you and I were given a second chance for a reason. I believe there are forces beyond our world that have allowed us to have this second chance. I didn't think I wanted to live forever before, but I know that if I do spend eternity with you, that we can do great things together. Eric I am yours, and you are mine, and the love I have for you is greater than life itself. I want to be turned."

Eric immediately shed a bloody tear upon hearing Sookie's revelation, and leaned into give his wife a kiss of thanks and love. Both of them knew that this second chance they had given each other was their chance to make their own forever.

The End


	18. Chapter 18

HI!

Happy Holidays to everyone. I am just letting you know I am starting a new side/continuation story of Growing up for Love, called Turning for Love.

Sookie makes the biggest decision of her life; to be Eric's eternal companion. But how does she make it and will she regret it? AU? Slightly OOC. Rated 'M' for mature themes and language.

This story is completed and will be posting regularly. Thanks and love to hear your feedback.


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